


Dissonance

by P1exieglasses



Series: RWBY Oscar Pine AU Collections [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anxiety, Completed, Depression, F/M, HEELP, Hope you liked it, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Oscar is not okay, Panic Attacks, Tai is secondary dad, Tornados, Wizard of Oz References, You Have Been Warned, antique shop au, but i'm too busy writing fanfiction, chapters are always too short, cuz dorothy allusion, dadpin, did i mention anxiety, find me on tumblr, guess again, he loves music boxes though, hiatus kills us all, i crank out about 1000 words per hour, i want this to be at least 10000 words, insert canon quote here, it was a fun ride, living the dream in the attic, moderate spice, more AUs on the way, more anxiety, my blood sweat and tears, my brothers say i should write a book, my rosegardening heart needs sustenance, not just me though, okay a lot spicy, oscar has the most anxiety, oscar low key hates his job, oscars blood sweat and tears, oz has terrible timing sometimes, probably add more tags later, promise you won't be disappointed, readers blood sweat and tears, rwby rosegarden, tai has great timing sometimes, tell me I'm wrong, the belladonnas got it rough, things get a little spicy, this is coming out in parts, tornadoes are acoming, waiting for volume 8, we passed 20000 words bois, what is affection, yang is gonna be a great sis in law, you thought this was gonna be fluff lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/P1exieglasses/pseuds/P1exieglasses
Summary: Antique shop Alternate Universe; RoseGarden Edition (not Addition. I embarrass myself. >.<)Oscar Pine lives in Ozpin's Oddities and works for the professor in exchange for everything he could ever need: food, shelter, clothing, and an education. In two years, he will finally be able to leave the shop and apply for citizenship in Mistral. For now, he must remain off the grid so his past life can't find him.And then a Rose walks into the shop and reminds him how lonely he truly is. Now he must balance his new wants and desires against reality. Love versus caution, sociability versus safety, and liveliness versus wisdom. On top of it all, his anxiety has never been worse.Things out of his control begin to happen, and even the things in his control won't stay. Oscar has to decide if it's truly safe to rely on anyone for comfort. The more people who know of his existence, the more likely he is to be found out. But how much more can he handle on his own? What's keeping him from breaking?Again?
Relationships: Oscar Pine/Ruby Rose, Ozpin & Oscar Pine
Series: RWBY Oscar Pine AU Collections [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108088
Comments: 48
Kudos: 78





	1. Melodies (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> This AU idea was first proposed by @Insulationsun on tumblr. I have merely taken the concept and ran.
> 
> Per request, I have decided to break this story into parts so that you all don't receive such little content on an irregular basis. I keep a buffer for my writing and intend to keep it that way.

Dissonance. The sound of two different birds in the morning that refuse to sing the same tune. The inconsistency of two melodies playing over each other. The sharpness of two voices interlocked in a raging banter. Oscar couldn’t stand dissonance. He could only take one sound at a time. This made mornings difficult, since he awoke every day in a thin-walled attic to the sound of the regular Mistralian birds echoing each other. He often wore earmuffs--specifically to block out the dissonance--as he readied himself for the day. After getting dressed in jeans and a baggy t-shirt or work flannel, Oscar would climb down the ladder in the back corner of the shop.  
Professor Ozpin owned an antique shop, where Oscar worked and lived, called Ozpin’s Oddities. Oscar had a mental inventory of every knick knack and oddity in this crappy store. It was more of Oz’s personal storage space than a store. Just when Oscar would think there would be no more space for antiques, Oz would find more. Oscar was in charge of cleaning, organizing, and customer service. Ozpin spent all day teaching at the local university, which was his main source of income. The antique shop was basically a hobby.

Oscar didn’t enjoy his work very much. Most of the antiques were creepy or practically trash, but occasionally someone would come in and find something that interests them. Oscar’s favorites were the music boxes. He had purposefully placed them in the back of the store so that people would have to pass through all sorts of “goodies” before they reached them. Perhaps it was selfish, but Oscar wasn’t willing to give any of them up. He always got so excited when Oz brought in another one. Since Oscar didn’t have money for a phone, musical playing device, or headphones, he used the music boxes to calm him down. Sometimes, he would tamper with the tiny parts inside and flip the melody, or move it a note up, or make it play backwards. Whatever he could do to entertain himself during the long, lonely days.  
Until one day in the fall, ground covered with a tapestry of red, brown, and orange leaves, something happened that Oscar didn’t expect. The boy had accidentally knocked over a gong, lamp, and porcelain tea set at the same time. Oscar could feel a panic attack coming as soon as the dissonance rang through the store. He had snatched a random music box before fleeing to the attic to calm down. 

His orange, gloved hands shook as he twisted the wind up on the bottom of the box and set it on the ground. The feelings of panic and dread flared as he sat on his springy, worn bed and held his head in his hands. As the melody resonated through the wooden floor, Oscar focused on listening rather than thinking. He wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed, but he knew it was usually thirty minutes before he was fully functional again. He rewound the music box over a dozen times before he finally let himself think again. Lifting his head, he scooped up the music box and closed it gently before standing as tall as he could in the little attic.  
He started down the ladder with one hand cradling the antique. His limbs felt tingly and his brain was fuzzy, but he doubted he’d have to use it any time soon.

So it was just his luck when he heard a gentle “excuse me” from behind him after he stepped off the ladder. The music box dropped from his hands and broke into several pieces that scattered across the ground. Oscar flinched and turned around with wide eyes. He hadn’t heard the little bell on the door go off. It was a girl about his age, perhaps a couple years older, with jet-black hair dyed red at the tips. Her complexion was practically white and was a stark contrast to her black leggings and dark red oversized sweater that functioned more like a dress than a top. Perhaps the most noticeable detail was her piercing silver eyes that looked up at him. 

Despite being a few inches taller, Oscar was hardly an intimidating figure. He had tousled deep brown hair that often covered his bright hazel eyes. His face looked young and was complete with freckles dotting his cheeks. His skin was fairly tan from his childhood spent on a farm. The baggy clothes he wore further showed off how much of him was skin and bone. The wood floor often thudded whenever his large, laced hiking boots took a step. He looked fairly normal except for the bandages wrapped around his neck and orange gloves covering his hands and wrists. A dirty white apron covered from his chest to his mid-thighs that was tied in a careful bow in the back. Ignoring his stained clothes and untamable hair, he looked fairly well-groomed.

“Umm, hi,” the girl said after a few awkward seconds of silence, “I was just wondering where you guys keep your music boxes?” 

Oscar’s brain still lacked full capacity. And there was a broken music box on the floor. “Uhh--” he stammered, practically dropping to the ground to get all the pieces and put them in his apron pockets. He should have just given directions. He shouldn’t have been selfish enough to put the music boxes in the back. He, frankly, shouldn’t have gotten so attached to merchandise in the first place. But instead, he spouted something else. “You like music boxes?” he asked, not really sure what emotion came out of his mouth. 

“Yeah,” the girl said with a light laugh and small smile. 

“C-cool,” Oscar said, dusting himself off as he stood up. Then he stopped and held his breath with a furrowed brow.

The girl tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. After a few more seconds, she said, “Music boxes?”

Oscar let out the breath he was holding with a massive sigh. “Right,” he said nervously, “follow me.” He felt his face heat up from embarrassment. Several steps later, Oscar had to look back and make sure the girl was still following him. Her steps were surprisingly silent. It kind of freaked him out. 

The music boxes weren’t far from the ladder, since both were in the back of the store. The whole store was fairly dim, but the back was even darker. Oscar knew it like the back of his hand, but the girl seemed extra cautious to not step or trip on things. 

“Here,” Oscar said, gesturing to a shelf on the right, “feel free to play any.”

“Alright,” the girl said chipperly, “thank you!” Oscar stood there for a few more seconds and looked longingly at the boxes. Several were elegant, some were simply wood. Golden filigree covered a few. Some had space for valuables inside while others had a wind-up scene. Oscar froze a bit when he remembered that some of them probably still had backwards melodies. Oops. 

“Anyway,” he said when he realized how long he’d been standing there, “I-I’m gonna go fix this.” He pointed towards the front of the store and made a beeline with his head down. When he got to the front desk with the cash register, he sat on the bar stool and took out all the pieces from his pockets. He sighed as emotions ran wild through his head. 

“Gods…” he mumbled, shaking his head. He wished he could silence all the thoughts that buzzed inside of him, but they weren’t having any of that. Most people who came into the store were either old or cultists. The girl who had walked in seemed like neither. When was the last time he had talked to a human other than Oz? A female, nonetheless? Sure, there was Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna in the shop next door, but their daughter had left for college a few years ago. And Blake never really talked much anyway. She would loan out books to Oscar all the time, which was cool. 

Basically, his social skills were suffering. What was he now, sixteen? Something like that. 

Oscar focused enough to start fixing the music box in front of him. He pulled out the thin drawer under the desk and picked out some pliers and mini screwdrivers. The musical mechanism had come loose from the circular container. The crank had bent and the tiny, metal scale that produced notes had come loose from the rotator. He sighed a defeated sigh and started adjusting the chimes.

“You sigh a lot,” a high voice said, causing him to jump again. 

“Wh-what the--” he stopped when he saw the girl had come around to the side of the desk. She held a small box with a rounded, wooden top and silver stripes that resembled giant circles when looking straight down at it. Oscar recognized it and his brain instantly thought of its melody: high and gentle, but sad and happy at the same time. It certainly was a beautiful one; it suited the girl. 

He quickly cleared his throat. “You found which one you wanted?” he asked, equally excited and dreadful. 

“Yep!” she declared proudly. Without hesitation, she opened the egg-shaped top and the familiar melody quietly rang out. 

“It’s a beautiful one,” Oscar said as he gazed at it. She nodded in agreement. 

After closing it, she stared at the project on his desk. “Did you fix it?” 

“I’m working on it,” he said, holding up the mechanism with the freshly tuned chimes. 

“What does it sound like?”

Oscar paused and stared at her like he was deaf for a bit. He finally processed her request and turned the crooked crank a few times. A lower, slower, more harmonious melody played from his hands. After a bit, it ran out.

The girl had a large smile on her face and cranked hers a few more times without opening the lid yet. “Here,” she said, “crank that one a few more times and let it play.” Oscar tilted his head in confusion but did as she asked. He set it on the table and let it resonate through the wood on the desk. It was a very basic and soothing melody. 

The girl then opened hers with perfect timing. The two mechanisms played their tunes at the same speed and, miraculously, in the same key. 

Oscar had always hated two songs playing at once, but these two worked really well. The girl’s box had many trills and an exciting melody while Oscar’s just held a good harmony line. In all the time he had worked in this shop and listened to every music box, he had never thought of combining the two. He wondered if there were others like these two that would also complement each other. 

The young woman beamed. The look in her eyes made Oscar smile. The sound of new music, even if it was just two melodies he already knew, filled him with excitement. He was so happy that he just closed his eyes and listened contentedly. The two melodies kept in time even when they started slowing down. 

“What’s your name?” the girl asked gently, causing him to open his eyes.

“Oh,” he was thoroughly caught off guard, “Oscar. Pine. And yours?”

“Ruby Rose,” she said with an adorable, toothy grin. She closed her music box and set it on the counter. “I’d like to purchase this one please.” Within a minute, Oscar rang her up with the cash register and she was out the door as quickly as she came. Someone greeted her there--a blond young woman. Ruby showed the blond her new antique with pride. Oscar could hear the blond laugh and watched as she pulled Ruby’s hoodie over her eyes with one swift motion. The two bickered and laughed before walking away. 

Oscar felt something tug at his heart. After interacting with Ruby, and then watching her and the blond laugh together, he realized just how much he missed human interaction. Ozpin talked to him whenever possible, of course, but Oscar wanted to be around people his age. He liked the feeling he got when Ruby was gone. He was too nervous to notice it when she was in the store. It was like someone had put a tiny balloon in the hole in his heart that lifted it ever so slightly. It was tiring and emotionally taxing, but he liked the high he got from it. 

He really hoped he’d see her again soon.


	2. Casserole Wednesday (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozpin lets Oscar live at the store in exchange for dealing with all of Ozpin's crap. Symbolic maybe? lol, idk
> 
> And yes, Oz, Oscar is into that sort of thing... >vO

Oscar was resting his chin on one hand propped up against the desk, half asleep, by the time Ozpin came back. Usually he came back before the sun set, but tonight he was late. No one had come in since Ruby, which wasn’t out of the ordinary. The tall, thin man opened the door while humming a bit. He wore his usual black and green suit and scarf, now with an extra dark brown trench coat to accommodate for the cold. Oscar sat up and smiled. “Welcome back,” the boy said, sliding off the bar stool behind the front desk. 

“I took the liberty of making dinner early,” Oscar said, lowering his head a bit, “since I wasn’t sure when you’d be getting back. But I compensated with the homemade hot chocolate you like! And I haven’t eaten yet, promise.”

Oz eyed him. “You don’t have to wait for me to eat,” he said with a slight chuckle.

“I know,” Oscar said, “but I would feel bad if I ate before you did, especially since it’s your food.” The two proceeded to the back of the store, but the opposite corner from the ladder to the attic. A locked door opened to a staircase that led to the cellar. Delicious smells erupted as soon as Oz swung the door ajar. 

“It may be my food,” Ozpin said with a hearty laugh, “but you know how to use it.” They both laughed and walked down the stairs to the mini kitchen and table that acted as a dining room. Ozpin didn’t live here. This was basically Oscar’s kitchen. Oz just came for dinner every day and supplied whatever materials Oscar asked for. When Oz had agreed to let Oscar live at the store, he only had one condition to cover all living expenses: run the store. For the tutoring sessions that usually accompanied dinner, Oscar had to cook. Oz once tried to cook Oscar breakfast in the morning, but it didn’t go well. Any semblance of consumer interest was driven away by the smell of burning food for the rest of that day. 

Once they made it down the creaky stairwell, Oscar scurried to the stove and opened it. He had long since turned off the heating, but often kept the food in there until Oz came home so it didn’t cool. Tonight was Casserole Wednesday, which was Oscar’s favorite. As he once explained to Oz, “Casseroles are, like, the way to cheat cooking. Just throw a bunch of stuff in a pan, cook it, and it somehow turns out okay.” Oz would usually go grocery shopping on Sunday, so Oscar used Casserole Wednesday as a way to inventory the dinner food. He never had to worry about left-over ingredients or expiration dates, since he didn’t need much in the first place. Everything got used up eventually during the week. 

Sometimes, Oscar would skip a meal or two just to make an extra special dinner for Oz. Ever since he had moved in, he felt indebted to the man. Oz always tried to convince him that they had a fair contract, or that it was just the right thing to do anyway. 

Mistral wasn’t kind to orphans, after all. Though Oscar wasn’t entirely an orphan. But he wasn’t old enough to apply for citizenship yet. He was off the grid. Oscar Pine was not supposed to exist, which was why he had no phone and wasn’t allowed to leave the shop. He often missed the sunshine. The shop had no backdoor to sneak out of just for a ray of natural light untampered by glass. The front of the store had massive windows, and his attic had a small one, but neither sufficed his love for the outdoors. Nothing could be done about it, however. Oscar still had two more years until adulthood. Two more years until he could start his own life as a legal citizen. 

“I’m afraid we won’t have time for tutoring today,” Ozpin said glumly, “I came home late on account of the transfer students’ paperwork.” Oscar wasn’t allowed to go to regular school, but Ozpin tutored him for two or three hours every night after work. Often, Oscar would work on assignments while waiting at the front desk, when he wasn’t cleaning or organizing. Hearing that he wouldn’t be tutored tonight made his heart sink a bit.

“So,” Oscar said, forcefully snapping himself back to reality, “how was your day?” Oz was seated at the table as Oscar started cutting slices in the small casserole.

The man let out a sigh. “Glynda caught me sneaking the mints in the break room.”

“No,” Oscar gasped dramatically, “what did she do?”

“Got out her riding crop, of course!” Ozpin shoved his hand in Oscar’s direction and pointed to his red and inflamed palm. “Look at this!” 

Oscar couldn’t help but laugh. “Only Glynda…” he said with a shake of his head. Of course, he had never met Glynda, but he’d heard plenty of stories. Plenty. “Got any student gossip?” Oscar pried. 

Oz gave him a side-glance with a smirk. “Any particular subject in mind?”

“I don’t know, something entertaining.”

“Hmm…” Oz was lost deep in thought. “well, I finally talked with that new kid I’ve been observing.”

“What was his name? John?”

“Jaune Arc. And he’s--”

“He’s the incompetent one.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t call him incompetent.” 

“You’re not allowed to call him incompetent.”

“But yes, he struggles. So I got to talk with him today.”

“What’s his story?” Oscar sat down with his plate after setting one down in front of Oz. He grabbed his fork and started digging in, eyes still fixed on Ozpin. 

“That’s the catch,” Oz said, stabbing his casserole with an excitement in his eyes, “he doesn’t have one.”

“Huh?”

“His records are forged. I can tell.”

“What? No way.”

“I’m not lying if that’s what you think. And it all makes sense, really.”

“But why would he do that? From what I’ve heard, he’s a pretty nice guy.”

“He is! Which is why he has me perplexed…” Ozpin relayed the bulk of their conversation to Oscar. They both talked and ate until they were stuffed and giggling.  
Before long, questionable stories followed one right after another.

“And then Qrow walks in!” Oz was saying.

“NO!” Oscar shrieked, exasperated.

“He did! It’s like he jinxed the whole situation himself.”

“Divine intervention right there,” Oscar said, gesturing with his fork. 

“I would hardly call Qrow walking into a room ‘divine intervention.’” The two burst out laughing. It wasn’t until Oscar’s gut started catching fire that he finally calmed down. 

“Speaking of Qrow,” Oz continued, “he says his brother-in-law and his daughters moved here this week. One skipped two grades, so she attends my school with her sister. Both first years. Their paperwork was the reason I had to stay a bit later today.”

“Huh,” Oscar said, slightly nervous all of the sudden, “cool. Did he say their names?” There was no way he had just happened to meet Qrow’s niece today, was there? Unless Qrow really was a god.

“Yang and Ruby,” Ozpin said. “Both are excellent students and quite the characters. I got the chance to meet Ruby after lunch today when she followed her sister through orientation. And Yang is… exciting, to say the least.”

Oscar tried to keep his mouth from dropping. Ruby? Like, Ruby Rose, Ruby? And was the blond girl with her Yang? He cleared his throat. “There’s no chance that Ruby has black hair with red tips and Yang is blond, is there?”

“You’ve met them?”

“Today,” Oscar said, “if we really are talking about the same people.” 

“What did you think of them? Would you like to see them again?”

Oscar stopped and tilted his head. “... why…?” It was kind of a strange thing to ask someone who is permanently stuck in a musty store.

Ozpin sighed and was quiet for a long time. “Oscar,” he said, looking down at the table, “are you lonely?” The boy’s countenance unconsciously fell. 

“I’m fine,” he said without meeting Oz’s eyes. Oscar had always been a poor liar. 

“We both know that’s a lie.”

“It’s okay though,” Oscar said quickly, “I wouldn’t trade my life here for the world!”

“You don’t have to,” Oz said, “but perhaps it’s time we let you see it first.”

“What are you saying?”

Ozpin smiled. No longer a goofy or sly smile from their previous conversation, but a sincere and kind smile that started in his eyes. “Would you like to accompany me to dinner at Yang and Ruby’s home tomorrow? Their father and I need to discuss teacher things, and I think the girls would enjoy your company.”

Oscar was silent, though his brain was thinking a million things. And he was getting uncomfortably warm. 

“You’re turning red,” Ozpin noted with a smirk.

“I just--” Oscar said defensively, “I’ve never, like, been to other people’s houses before.”

“I mean, both of them are very beautiful girls, if you’re into that sort of--”

“Stoooooppp,” Oscar groaned, covering his face.

“Alright alright,” Oz chuckled, dropping the subject. Oscar finally peeked out from behind his hands. He pouted and rolled his eyes before picking up his and Oz’s empty plates and bringing them to the sink. Just as he turned on the water and began scrubbing soap on them, Oz piped up again. “It’s Ruby, isn’t it?”

“OZ!” Oscar said, nearly throwing the plate he was holding at the man.

*****

Waiting for dinner time to come was a nightmare. Throughout the day, Oscar’s brain would move in endless circles. Be polite, but not robotic. Wait, was he robotic anyway? How does one express emotions? And not be awkward about it? What if something slips out of his mouth that he doesn’t want? Or what if he says something against social norms and he doesn’t know it? What are social norms? Each question stacked like another weight in his stomach. Tingles in his stomach would come and go throughout the day whenever something reminded him of his activity tonight.

Oz came home early. At least an hour before sunset. Oscar was very confused, knowing that dinner wouldn’t be for another few. “Wow,” Oscar said as the headmaster walked through the store door, jingling the bell, “you’re home early.”

Oz approached the desk wearing an unreadable expression. “And you’re surprisingly pale,” he noted. Oscar groaned and flopped his head into his folded arms on the counter. 

“I’m so nervous,” he admitted. “I haven’t interacted with normal people for more than a few minutes since… I can’t even remember. But who knows how long we’ll be at Ruby’s.”

“Taiyang and Yang will be there too.”

“But Ruby’s gonna talk to me.”

“Does she scare you?”

“Everything scares me.”

“Well, I guarantee you that Ruby is not a person to be afraid of.”

“I just…” Oscar sighed, “can’t make myself, ya know, not be anxious.”

“That’s not exactly new information,” Oz said, raising an eyebrow, “you are a very anxious person by nature.”

“Tell me about it.”

“But while anxiety is often miserable, and there is a fine balance of too little and too much, it is a very helpful emotion.”

“I beg to differ.”

“That’s because you have too much of it.” 

Oscar wasn’t in the mood for a therapy session. “It’s fine,” he said, hanging his head, “I’ve lived this long with anxiety, and I can go another night without addressing it.”

“I didn’t say you shouldn’t--”

“I’m fine,” Oscar said with more force. He wasn’t angry, he just wasn’t in the mood to talk about his life problems. He had one too many of those. 

Oz was silent for a while. Oscar looked up at him. “You know,” Oz said gently, “I do care about you. I worry for you. I hope you know you can talk to me about anything.” Oz might have been a strange man with a strange store, but he was also a headmaster at a university. He knew how teenagers and young adults functioned. Oscar often found himself wishing that Oz would just work in the store all day with him instead of going to school, but knew that being headmaster was his main source of income. Oscar had to remind himself that it was either loneliness or homelessness. 

Oscar decided he should change the subject. “Why did you come home early?” he said with feigned chipperness. 

“We,” Ozpin said, “need to get you some nicer clothes.” Oscar tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. 

“Is it not normal to wear what I’m wearing?” Oscar asked, gesturing to his work clothes: dirty white apron, a green, plaid button up shirt with rolled up sleeves, torn, baggy jeans, and his regular hiking boots. 

“Just let me spoil you,” Ozpin said with a smile, “for once.”

Oscar tilted his head back and forth, as if he were weighing his options. “Will it take long?” he asked.

“We’ll go straight from shopping to the Xiao Long’s, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Oh thank gods,” Oscar said, “I need a distraction.” 

Ozpin laughed. “That bad?”

“Weren’t you the one saying I looked pale?” Oscar hopped off the stool and untied his apron, setting it on the counter.

“Did anyone come in today?” Oz asked as he flipped the front sign from Open to Closed. 

“A mute lady looking for a parasol.”

“Well that’s new.”

“You sell weird stuff. You should expect weird people.” They both laughed as they left the store and locked it shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short, I know. I just wanted to get down Oscar and Oz's relationship in this chapter.  
> Oz has not adopted Oscar because Oscar isn't up for adoption, so he's done his best to compensate without getting caught. More backstory to come.


	3. The Xiao Long's (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby is quite the sly young lady. Yang and Ruby agree that Oscar needs milk.
> 
> Oscar also needs hugs. And nature. So he gets both.

Going to a store was very strange for Oscar. So many smells and sights everywhere. Thankfully, there weren’t many people at the clothing store today. Most people recognized Ozpin, but entirely overlooked Oscar. The boy didn’t complain. He felt like he wasn’t supposed to be there--like a kid who had snuck into the teachers’ lounge.   
It had been surprisingly hard to find clothes in the local stores that fit Oscar’s skinny frame. The muscle he had gained from doing a lot of lifting and various physical activities around the shop--and his previous occupation as a farmhand--hardly made up for the amount of fat he was missing. They had decided on a new, white, long-sleeve undershirt beneath a formal, dark green, button up vest with orange suspenders and black slacks. Oz also bought him black dress shoes, which was a completely new experience for Oscar. His feet felt so light. Even though Oscar refused to button up the vest, Oz had truly succeeded in making Oscar look presentable. They gave up on the hair, though. 

By the time they arrived, Oscar wanted to puke. Ozpin’s car was a smooth ride, making motion sickness nigh impossible, but that wasn’t the problem. Oscar’s anxiety was through the roof. The Xiao Long’s lived up the side of a small hill with trees of every color. Their house wasn’t huge, but bigger than a cottage. There was a garden in front with tiny buds sprouting. Freshly planted, it seemed. From Oscar’s plant knowledge, they weren’t vegetables. 

The car came to a stop. “Deep breath,” Oz said, glancing at the boy in the shotgun seat, “you’re going to be fine. Taiyang is very homely.” Oscar nodded quickly before unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door. He stepped onto the gravel road with shaky legs that could collapse any second. 

Ozpin waited for Oscar to come around the car before walking up to the door. As they neared the door, Oscar found himself drawn to the little garden. He really loved plants. Oscar wandered off the walkway and crouched near the garden. Pulling off his glove, he gently reached out and felt one of the tiny, soft leaves of the mystery buds. It was so calming to rub the cool leaf between his fingers. He looked up at Oz with the biggest smile. 

“Don’t kill their garden,” Oz chuckled, teasingly reprimanding the boy. Oscar echoed the laugh before running his fingers up the bud and removing his hand. He placed the orange glove back on, feeling much calmer. Then, he followed Oz up to the door and stood by his side as he knocked. 

A barking erupted from the other side of the door. A few seconds later, the door opened. In the doorway was a fairly burly man with bright blond hair and an orange polo. “Professor Ozpin!” he said, extending his hand for Oz to shake, “so glad you could make it. Please, come in.” The man gestured for them to enter the house.

“Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long,” Ozpin said, graciously walking in with Oscar at his heels. 

The smell of baked goods was the first thing to greet them. Then the source of the barking circled around their feet. A small dog--a black and white corgi--looked up at Oz and Oscar with adorable brown eyes that begged for attention. There was a nice sitting room on their left with a giant window facing the setting sun that peeked through the trees. On their right was a wooden staircase leading upwards. Light and laughter came from the end of the hallway in front of them. Oz strode down the hall like he’d been here a million times. Oscar was much more hesitant. 

“And what’s your name?” Mr. Xiao Long asked Oscar.

Oscar flipped around to face the man. The man looked intimidating, but he radiated warmth. “O-Oscar,” he managed to say, “Oscar Pine, sir.”

“Nice to meet you, Oscar,” Mr. Xiao Long responded with a toothy grin, “and please, call me Tai.” He looked a lot like the blond he’d seen yesterday, Yang. “Let’s go introduce you,” Tai said, ushering Oscar down the hall. Oscar had no choice but to go along with it. When they rounded the corner, there were a few more people than Oscar had anticipated. Six people were already sitting at the large dining room table.

Oscar recognized Ruby instantly. She was wearing a long-sleeved, short red dress with black leggings, which made Oscar chuckle. It looked almost exactly like her hoodie outfit from yesterday, except turtle-neck and without the actual hood part. He got the feeling that she didn’t like to dress out of her comfort zone. Yang was sitting next to her, wearing a spaghetti-strap yellow dress with black stripes at the bottom. Ozpin had already helped himself to a seat next to a pale man with swept-back black hair. The man wore a grey suit with several open buttons and black slacks. From the beard stubble to the red eyes, Oscar recognized this as Qrow. Two other men were seated at the table, one with green hair and glasses and the other with a white mustache wearing a red suit. The portly, mustache man was engaged in telling a dramatic story with his cheerful, booming, deep voice. 

Oscar really wanted to run away and never come back. He really, really wanted to just lock himself in the car. But Tai pushed him forward and said, “How about you go sit between Yang and Oz?” Oscar silently nodded and made his way over to the sturdy wooden table, already complete with plates, cups, utensils and napkins. He sat down in a trance and stared as his hands in his lap, listening to Ozpin’s occasional comments about the story being told. Then he heard Yang say “hmm?” in a fairly quiet tone. He looked over and saw Ruby whispering into Yang’s ear. “Oooohhhh,” Yang said, winking at Ruby.

“Shh!” Ruby said, elbowing her sister. Oscar decided he probably shouldn’t tune in to their private conversation and returned to staring at his lap and listening to nothing in particular. After a few seconds, he saw Yang get up out of the corner of his eye. She sidestepped to allow a red figure to swap her seats. Oscar panicked and didn’t dare look up when he realized that Ruby now sat next to him.

After some more seconds, she finally spoke, “Hey Oscar! Good to see you again.” Oscar looked up, trying and failing to maintain eye-contact. 

“Ruby!” he said, trying to act like he hadn’t run through the possible ways this scenario could go wrong in his head multiple times throughout the day, “h-hey.” He couldn’t bring himself to say anything else. Talking to anyone was scary, but talking to Ruby was a whole nother world of anxiety. For being almost a complete stranger, she had a bigger hold on his emotions than he would have liked. 

“So…” Ruby said after a stretch of awkward silence, “How did you get to know Ozpin?”

“W-well,” Oscar said, “he’s my boss.”

“Right,” Ruby said, “but, like, how did you meet?”

“Uh,” Oscar stuttered. That was a can of worms. “I, uh--” Oscar knew he was terrible at lying, so he went with a partial lie, “I was job searching.” 

Ruby thankfully didn’t read too much into it. “Cool,” she said, “what’s it like to work there? Does it pay well?”

Oscar thought about his whole living situation. Sure, he hated his job and the hours were brutal. But he got a bed. He got food. He got clothes. Even a general education was at his fingertips. “It pays great,” Oscar finally said.

“No wonder,” Ruby said, glancing at Ozpin, “he’s probably loaded.” She giggled behind her hand. Oscar could sense the inevitable end of their current conversation and panicked. Now what? Awkward silence. He couldn’t handle that in any way, shape, or form--

“How old are you?” Ruby asked. She transferred from one topic to the other as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Oscar felt a massive weight float off of him.

“S-sixteen,” he said. He tried again to look her in the eyes and succeeded for a few seconds longer than previous attempts.

“Cool! I’m eighteen. But I moved ahead two grades to be with Yang, so that’s why I get to attend the university.” In Mistral, the standard admittance age for college and university was twenty years old, though adulthood officially began at eighteen. Secondary school had two levels: one to adjust to a higher curriculum and another to prepare for university. Each level was attended for a few years. Oscar would currently be in the first level of secondary school, if he actually attended school.

“What school do you attend?” Speak of the devil. 

“I’m homeschooled,” Oscar said. 

“No way!” Ruby seemed awfully excited. “Do you at least plan on attending a university?”

“Yeah,” Oscar said, “I hope to attend the one Oz teaches at, someday.”

“It’s a really great school so far. I’m sure you’ll like it there. And hey, Ozpin might give you extra privileges or something.” Oscar thought about Oz’s story from yesterday about Glynda. If even Ozpin didn’t get extra mints from the break room, he doubted Glynda would allow Ozpin to pamper Oscar in any way. The boy let out a chuckle before he could stop it.

“What?” Ruby asked with a smile.

Oscar flamed when he realized that he had laughed. “Nothing,” he said, “I was just thinking of a story Oz told me yesterday about Glynda--I mean, Professor Goodwitch.” Oscar’s hands fumbled with the hem of his gloves in an attempt to relieve anxiety. It wasn’t working too great. 

“Goodwitch is so cool,” Ruby said, and Oscar swear he saw sparkles in her eyes, “but she does intimidate me.”

“She intimidates everyone, apparently.”

“Even Oz?”

“She has, on more than one occasion, used her riding crop on his hands.” Oscar lowered his voice on that last one and leaned in, as if telling Ruby a secret. She covered her mouth and exploded in muffled giggles. Oscar couldn’t help but chuckle too.

“And what is it that’s so funny?” Ozpin interjected as he turned on the two, one eyebrow raised. Both of them sat up and straightened their backs, putting their hands in their laps in perfect synchronization. 

“Nothing,” Oscar said as he neutralized his face.

“Absolutely positively nothing,” Ruby added, equally emotionless. Ozpin shook his head and rolled his eyes before turning back to the adults’ conversation. Oscar’s eyes shifted back to Ruby as she looked at him, both of them breaking into silly grins. He took a deep breath as he looked at her and smiled gently; he could get used to conversations like this. 

“How about some food?” Taiyang walked in a platter of ham and a giant bowl of mashed potatoes. Ruby and Oscar turned their attention to the mouth-watering delectables that were set before them. Yang followed her father, carrying a basket of rolls and a jug of milk. It only took a minute to get food on everyone’s plates and the conversations died down consequently. 

The food was as good as it smelled. Oscar was grateful to taste someone’s cooking other than his. He was pretty good at it, but he only knew a limited amount of recipes. The way Taiyang had cooked the ham was heavenly. Suddenly, Yang was pouring a massive dose of milk into his cup. “Oh--” he stuttered, “you don’t have to--”  
“You look like you could use some milk,” Yang said, looking at him with the most dry, yet sympathetic face. Ruby nodded in agreement. Oscar was confused, but didn’t complain. 

*****

“Why don’t you go take the dog on a walk with the girls?” Taiyang said to Oscar after everyone was finishing up. “We’re just talking about boring teacher stuff, and Zwei needs the exercise.” Oscar nearly screamed. He gets to go walk along the road with all the beautiful trees around? Oscar had missed nature more than anything else since moving in Oz’s shop. 

“Umm,” Oscar said, trying to keep his excitement under wraps. He looked to Oz for approval. The professor gave Oscar a smile and a wink. “I would love to.” Oscar couldn’t hide his smile. 

“Can I go?” Qrow asked in a disgruntled tone.

“No,” Taiyang replied, “you have to talk about teacher stuff too. Don’t think we forgot about last week’s lab.”

“It’s not my fault that one kid put a cigarette on my seat.”

“No,” Ozpin said, “but you didn’t exactly follow all fire safety procedures either.”

“The kid had it coming, alright?” Oscar didn’t want to know. He backed away from the table and followed Yang and Ruby down the hallway to the front door. They opened the door and let Zwei run out first before walking out themselves. Oscar stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind him. 

“Is he gonna…” Oscar asked hesitantly, “get lost? Without a leash?”

“Nah,” Yang said, “Zwei is really well trained. He may run off for a bit, but he’ll come crawling back soon enough.” 

“So dad thinks we take him on walks,” Ruby said, “but we really just sit on the porch and wait for him to bring us a squirrel or something.” Oscar chuckled as he watched the corgi dart around the front yard. No one lived nearby, from what Oscar had seen on the way up. Yang plopped on a worn deckchair to the left as Ruby stalked Zwei around the yard. Oscar felt a bit awkward and conflicted, but followed Ruby. 

She squatted down and picked up a black ball on the ground. “Zwei!” she called to the corgi who was, unsurprisingly, chasing squirrels, “entertain me.” She threw the ball about ten yards away and watched as Zwei ran in excited little zig-zags to get the treasure. It only took about ten seconds before the ball was back in Ruby’s hand. Oscar watched with fascination. He had seen dogs, and occasionally interacted with them, but had never seen someone play with one. The dogs his old farm had had were all trained to herd animals, not play. 

“Good boy,” Ruby said, rubbing the dog's head with both hands. He dropped the ball and hit the deck, rolling onto his back to expose his belly. “You are such an attention hog!” Ruby said as she got on her knees and scratched the demanding dog’s stomach. The dog suddenly switched his eyes from Ruby to Oscar, who was still standing a few feet away. Ruby followed the dog’s eyes and saw the sheepish boy. 

“He wants you to pet him,” Ruby said cheerily, “come on.” Oscar approached slowly and knelt by the needy hound. Its tongue hung out one side as it panted, head lolling around to look at Oscar. Oscar hesitantly reached out one hand and touched the dog’s underside. When his hand didn’t get bit off, he decided to start rubbing small circles around the dog’s rib cage. Zwei twisted happily and let out an excited yelp. Oscar couldn’t hold back his smile as he continued to scratch the blissful pup’s belly. 

“It feels much better when you’re not wearing gloves,” Ruby mentioned lightly. Oscar’s face fell a bit. He was okay taking his gloves off in front of Oz, but never did it in front of anyone else. No one needed to see the things he hid under them. Even he felt sick when he looked at his exposed wrists.

“I-it’s alright,” Oscar said with a shrug, trying to come up with some excuse as to why he still wore them, even when petting a fluffy dog. “I… umm… I’m allergic.” Oscar internally cringed. He knew he was such a bad liar.

Ruby didn’t pry farther. She said nothing as her eyes shifted from his face, to his hands, then back to the dog. 

“Ruby!” Yang called out from the porch, “Zwei is supposed to be getting exercise, not tummy rubs!” 

“Ah!” Ruby shrieked, “you’re right!” She grabbed the ball and stood up. Zwei reluctantly rolled over and sat up. He tilted his head as he looked at his owner. Oscar stood up as well, dusting the dirt off of his slacks. “Ya ready, boy?” Ruby shook the ball in front of her dog’s face. He barked and spun in a circle. Ruby threw it again, farther. It bounced across the grass before rolling into a huge pile of fallen leaves. “Oops,” Ruby muttered with a laugh. Zwei, being a classic canine, jumped full-force into the pile with a crunch before completely disappearing. Oscar gasped while Yang and Ruby laughed uncontrollably. Ruby jogged up to the pile with Oscar hot on her heels. There were crunching sounds coming from inside, but no visible movement. The pile was at least five Zwei’s deep. 

“Zwei?” Ruby said through laughs, “you good, buddy?” There was a muffled bark. Ruby erupted into laughter again. Oscar furrowed his brow and looked from Ruby to the pile. “Come on, boy,” she coaxed. Within a few seconds, the leaves started moving and the corgi trotted out of the pile with the ball in hand. He was covered in leaves, but looked content. Ruby let the dog chew on the ball for a while.

“I haven’t seen one of these in years,” Oscar mumbled. Ruby was caught off-guard at hearing him initiate a conversation. 

“This is the first time we’ve had to make one in a while,” she said, gesturing to all the trees that lined their yard. “Back in Vale, there were less trees and more meadows where I lived. An island called Patch.”

Silence followed for a bit. “Have you jumped in one before?” Ruby asked.

“Pardon?”

“Jumped in a leaf pile. Ya know? Like, played in it and stuff.”

“We would usually just stuff it in bags and use it for compost.”

“So you’ve never been in a leaf pile?”

“What do you mean ‘in a leaf--” before Oscar could finish his question, Ruby shoved him forward so hard that he lost his footing and fell right into the leaves. Everything was dark. Oscar felt himself sinking. He flipped over and started to squirm as anxiety took over. Several dozen layers of leaves laid between him and the darkened sky. 

“Relax,” Ruby said calmly, “I’m right here. You’re not drowning.” He couldn’t see her, but he felt and heard some leaves shift to his right. Then the leaves between him and the real world parted as Ruby’s gentle hands uncovered his face. She was sitting in the leaves next to him, leaning over him to help clear the leaves from his face. “There,” she said as she plucked one more leaf off his nose. “Now, how does it feel?”

Oscar breathed in a closed his eyes, letting the leaves work their way into his senses. The sinking felt less like drowning and more like a fluffy bed. The leaves smell… like leaves. Oscar missed that smell. He smiled as he took several calming breaths. “It feels,” he said, eyes still closed and smile still showing, “like a hug.”

Ruby giggled warmly. “I’m glad,” she said. “You seemed like you could use one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone say Xiao LOOOOOOONNNGGG? Yes. This chapter took a lot of time and effort and turned out two times longer than I expected it to. This may be the last of part one, or I may crank another mini chapter out. We'll see. I have other parts I want to start publishing so....
> 
> Also I'm too tired to edit this chapter. I apologize for anything and everything.


	4. Nice (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini chapter; the conclusion of part 1. Oscar and Ozpin talk as they drive home. Totally wrote this yesterday and didn’t post it. My b.

“You better not be getting leaves on the seat,” Ozpin said as he and Oscar drove home from the Xiao Long’s. The sun had set hours ago and the stars shone overhead bountifully. 

Oscar chuckled. He’d had to pick leaves out of his vest, gloves, pants, shoes, neckline, and hair, but couldn’t have cared less. He had almost fallen asleep in that leaf pile with Ruby sitting next to him. Oscar hadn’t stopped smiling for the past hour. 

“So I trust that you and the girls got along?” Oz asked, more of a statement than a question.

“Y-yeah,” Oscar said. He was trying to keep his emotions under control, but he was on some sort of high that made it difficult. His cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much.

“I will say, it’s nice to see you smile. Really, truly smile. You do that so little these days.” Oscar looked out the window and felt the cold glass through his gloved hand. 

“It was just…” Oscar sighed, “really nice.”

“What about it was nice?”

“Everything. The food, the people, the dog, the leaf pile. It was so strange and new for me. And you know I don’t do well with change. But this time, somehow, everything just felt… okay.” Ozpin was silent for a while, but Oscar could see the smile from the man’s reflection in the window. 

“I’m so happy for you,” he finally said. 

“Yeah,” Oscar replied. He watched as his breath fogged up the window and then disappeared. “Me too,” he whispered. 

END OF PART 1


	5. Almost Happy Reunion (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of part 2!
> 
> Ruby is back, but at what cost? *dramatic chimes in the background*
> 
> And did someone say “T R A U M A”?
> 
> “Yes you did we all heard you you said ‘trauma.’ YOU’RE WELCOME.” -name that quote guys (replace ‘trauma’ with book)

A long, boring week had passed before Oscar saw Ruby again. Of course, he had nonchalantly asked Oz about her every night. He said she was doing well, despite being a bit swamped with catch-up work. But it wasn’t like Oz conversed with her daily. 

Oscar was sweeping up a bunch of leaves that had been blown in with the last customer. He took the filled dustpan over to the trash behind the counter and dumped them. A few floated just short of the trash and landed on the wooden floor. Oscar crouched under the desk and started picking them up just as he heard the bell for the door jingle. 

“I’ll be right with you,” he said, brushing off his hands over the trash can. 

“No rush,” the high, female voice said, “I’m not buying anything today.” Oscar recognized that voice. His heart fluttered and he automatically went to stand up. Unfortunately, the counter had other plans, and the boy hit his head against the underside of the desk. 

“Oh my gods, are you okay?” Ruby asked, a slight chuckle in her voice. Oscar groaned as he carefully stood up, one hand clutching the top of his head. One eye squinted in pain, but he wore a toothy grin. 

“Ruby!” he exclaimed, not even trying to hide his excitement. “You’re back!”

“You betcha,” she said with a smile, “and I brought lunch.” Oscar tilted his head slightly. Of course, he knew what lunch was. He just wasn’t accustomed to having it. His daily life accounted for one--sometimes two--meals: breakfast and dinner. To be honest, he wasn’t all that hungry most of the time. Perhaps it was because he was used to it.

Ruby held up a large paper bag that smelled delicious. She set it on the counter and dug through it, pulling out various wrapped goods. “I wasn’t really sure what you like,” Ruby admitted, “so I just got you a burger and fries. But hey, they’ve got really good burgers.” He hadn’t had a burger since… he couldn’t even remember when. She set a wrapped package, a little bigger than Oscar’s fist, in front of him along with a box of fries. Ruby grabbed what looked like a wrap and smoothie before spilling napkins and sauce packets all over the counter. 

“Have at it,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. Oscar was completely speechless. Someone had just brought him food he did nothing to earn. 

“I don’t have any money to pay for it,” Oscar said, pushing the burger and fries to Ruby, “but that’s okay, ‘cause I don’t usually eat lunch anyway.” It was Ruby’s turn to look dumbfounded. 

“I’m giving it to you,” she said, sliding the food back across the counter. “Think of it as bribery to be my friend.” Oscar looked from Ruby, to the food, to Ruby. There definitely had to be a catch here, right? When Ruby saw his concerned expression, she said, “No, there’s no catch. This food is free of charge. From me, to you. Now please, at least try it.”

Oscar felt a little bubble of panic in his stomach, but hesitantly reached out for the food. He continued to keep his eye on Ruby, half expecting her to force him to sign his life away as soon as he took a bite. Ruby peeled off the wrapping on her meal and watched him intently as she took a sideways bite. “Careful not to get grease on your gloves,” she said as he pulled open the paper.

Sure enough, it looked like a regular hamburger. Beef patty, lettuce, cheese, pickles, tomato, and onion rings, with some sort of sauce beneath the bun. “It’s not gonna bite you,” Ruby laughed, covering her mouth full of food. Finally, Oscar brought the burger to his mouth and took a small bite. Exciting flavors burst in his mouth. Sweet, salty, and savory all at once. He’d forgotten how fantastic a burger tasted. 

“Do you…” Ruby asked hesitantly, “do you like it?” Oscar nodded and smiled with his lips, cheeks puffy with food. It was absolutely adorable.

“Oh thank gods,” Ruby said, visibly deflating, “you had me worried for a second there.” 

Oscar politely swallowed before speaking, “What have you been up to the past week?”

“Well,” she began, swallowing another bite of her wrap, “since I came a few weeks late, I’ve mainly been catching up. But I’ve also found new friends! Weiss and I are totally BFF’s--well, we’re going to be.” Oscar snorted at that. “We will! Just you wait. And Yang found her penpal, Blake.”

“Blake Belladonna?” Oscar asked.

“Yeah!” Ruby replied, “do you know her?”

“Vaguely,” he said, “her parents run the shop next door.” He set down his burger to point to the right side of the shop.

“Oh!” Ruby said, practically jumping up and down, “I need to tell Yang! I can’t believe we passed by the store last week and didn’t notice.” Her expression changed to a more teasing, sly smirk. “Hey, that gives me an excuse to come by here again.” The wink she threw Oscar nearly had him choking on his burger. 

“Anyway,” she continued as if she hadn’t just killed the boy on the other side of the counter, “there’s also Ren and Nora, who are the absolute cutest couple.” Oscar’s brain recollected the times Ozpin’s gossip included those two. Apparently, Nora was a massive troublemaker. “And then there’s Pyrrha and Jaune. I would literally die for those two, and I just met them.” Ozpin often discussed Pyrrha Nikos. She was a star pupil, top of her class, guaranteed future millionaire, etc. But she also had the kindest, gentlest heart and the most humble personality. Oscar desperately wanted to meet her. 

“Wait,” he said as soon as the realization hit him, “Jaune? As in Jaune Arc?”

“Yeah, do you know him too?”

“I haven’t met him,” Oscar felt drawn to the boy. Perhaps it was because of Oz. “But Oz has talked about him a lot.”

Ruby looked at him for a while with an unreadable look. “It’s so weird that you call him Oz.”

“Is it?” Oscar had never really put much thought into it before. Oz was his friend and mentor more than anything else. Calling him “professor” felt wrong on his tongue. 

“For being an employee, you seem awfully special to him.”

Oscar laughed. “I’m his only employee.”

“Isn’t it, like, illegal to have a minor working as many hours as you do?” Oscar stopped. Illegal. That was a loaded word. Nothing about this whole situation was legal. If Ruby reported his situation to the police, he’d be sent back to the farm for sure. 

“I’m a special case,” Oscar said, looking down at his half-eaten meal. He pushed it away slightly as his hunger was replaced with anxiety. 

“What?” Ruby joked, “are you an immigrant?” 

“I don’t have to tell you anything.” He was border-line shouting. On this inside, a billion voices were screaming, begging him to apologize for the sudden outburst. And yet, the single, loudest voice--that whispered tales of possible failures and ruined dreams into his ear constantly--told him that silence was safety. His anxiety won, and he just stared at the desk quietly as he wrung his hands. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ruby take one step back and fall silent. He wished so desperately for the ability to read her thoughts without having to look at her face. 

“I…” she finally spoke, “I’m so sorry.” When Oscar didn’t respond, she continued. “I shouldn’t have pried. I…” She came forward and grabbed the large paper bag and any other leftover garbage, kindly leaving some extra napkins next to his meal. “I’ll give you some space. I’m really, truly sorry.” Judging by her uneven, quiet footsteps, Oscar could tell she kept looking back and was very hesitant to leave. He felt equally betrayed and shameful. He wished Ruby would just leave and never find out his secrets, but desperately needed her company. His ultimate reaction was to freeze and stare at the grains in the wood of the desk. 

“Thanks for letting me eat lunch with you, Oscar,” she said quietly. The bell on the door rang as it opened and shut. Just like that, he was alone with his thoughts again. 

Pushing away his food, he folded his arms onto the desk and dropped his head into them. In the back of his mind, he sensed the familiar creeping feeling of death and destruction corrupting his thoughts. The fear of what lurks under his gloves and bandages, his uncle returning, exposed secrets that can never be revealed…

A rope. 

All the thoughts he didn’t want, and more, came flooding in faster than the beat of a hummingbird’s wing. Oscar should have grabbed a music box and fled to the attic, like he had done a hundred times before. Something tied him to his chair, however. He didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to feel better. The whisperer in his mind convinced him that every ounce of fear, anguish, and hopelessness was earned. Oscar was guilt-driven to stay where he was. No one to call out for. No one to lean on. He wanted to scream so badly, but sobs were the only thing that escaped his mouth. Heaving, wet gasps that sounded more like choking than crying. 

Exhaustion crept in through the holes of his defenses, seeping into his bones like sand in an hourglass. It wasn’t long before reality blended into dreams, but the emotions never left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter of part 2 tonight, I’m afraid. I keep getting distracted and writing scenes in part three. 😣  
> It amazes me how much this story is just writing itself though.


	6. Oz's Advice (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz comes home to a very worn-out, heartbroken, exhausted, dismal, panicked, depressed, guilt-ridden, hopeless, anxious, lost, pained, (need I continue?), Oscar.

“Oscar…” a man’s voice coaxed, “if you sleep now, you’ll never sleep tonight.” Oscar awoke to the darkness of the wooden counter, his head framed in his arms that would undoubtedly explode into tingles as soon as he looked up. 

“Come on,” Oz’s voice said, “let’s go make dinner.” Oscar took a sharp inhale and stretched out his arms as he lifted his head, feeling pain course through his head, neck, shoulders, and forearms. Great. Oscar blinked a few times before focusing on Oz’s face, who stood on the other side of the counter like a customer. The windows revealed that the sun was setting. 

“Did you stay up reading last…” Ozpin’s voice trailed off when he got a good look at Oscar’s face. The boy’s eyes were puffy and red and his cheeks were stained with dried tear marks. The miserable look in his eyes didn’t help. “Oscar…” Oz said gently, “we talked about what to happen when a panic attack sets on. I thought your strategy worked?”

“It does work,” Oscar said, his voice gravelly, “I just… didn’t use it.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to feel better?”

“You don’t get it, Oz.”

“I would like to.”

“It’s not something you just understand one day.”

“I don’t doubt you, but I need you to talk about these problems with me so I can best help you.”

“I don’t want help.”

“That’s precisely why you need it.” 

Oscar sighed, feeling far too tired to argue. “Let’s just go make dinner,” he said, hopping off the stool, “maybe that’ll help distract me.”

Oz stopped him with one arm. “What set it off this time?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“This pattern isn’t healthy, Oscar.”

“I don’t care!” the boy shouted, pushing Oz’s arm out of the way. “Sometimes, I don’t want to feel better! Sometimes I feel the pain, the fear, the guilt, and I can’t bring myself to run away from it. It’s woven itself into me like a messed-up tapestry. And what’s worse? Sometimes I feel like I deserve it! I can’t even distinguish how I think I feel from how I actually feel. I just…” he quieted and ran one hand through his hair, “I don’t want to be me anymore. I want to have a normal brain, with normal thoughts, that doesn’t hold me like a puppet on strings. I want to live my life without having to fight a war against my conscience.”

Ozpin waited several more seconds to make sure Oscar was done before speaking. “Where is this coming from?”

“I…” he sighed, as if ashamed about what he was going to say, “Ruby visited today. She brought me lunch, and everything was going great. But something she said rubbed against me wrong, and I can’t even remember why. I totally snapped, and she practically ran out of the store, and gods know when I’ll see her again. I just… couldn’t stop feeling guilty.” 

“Hmm,” Oz said, clearly lost in thought. “Perhaps I could talk to her?”

“No,” Oscar shook his head vigorously, “I don’t want you to have to clean up my messes.”

“Alright then,” Ozpin said, “but let’s at least brainstorm some ideas on how to fix this.”

Oscar looked at him in astonishment. “You don’t think it’s a lost cause?”

“What? Of course not.”

“You don’t think it’s a good thing that I’ve scared off someone who could disclose my identity, or lack thereof?”

“I hardly peg Ruby as the sort of person to tattle.”

“Huh,” Oscar said, leaning against the desk. It was his turn to get lost in thought.

“Discussion over dinner?” Oz said, gesturing to the back of the store. Oscar nodded and followed him down the stairs into the dim basement. It was strange to walk down there and not be greeted by any sort of smell. Oscar wasted no time opening the mini fridge and pulling out vegetables and soy sauce. Then he went to the hanging cupboards and pulled out some minute-rice and pots. 

“You could write her a letter,” Oz suggested as he turned on the stove. Oscar swatted his hand away and Oz took a defensive step back.

“You’re not allowed to touch that,” Oscar said, eyeing the man. 

Ozpin went back to the small dining table and took a seat. “And we can drop it off at her house with flowers,” Oz said.

“Flowers?” Oscar questioned.

“Women love flowers.”

“Isn’t that kind of romantic?”

“It is what you want it to be.” Oz had a look in his eye that Oscar wasn’t fond of. 

“Fine,” Oscar said, “say I write her a note and deliver flowers. What kind?”

“Roses, for sure.”

“That’s definitely romantic!” Oscar’s face flamed.

“She’d love them,” Oz assured, “for her namesake.”

“Absolutely not,” Oscar said, puffing his cheeks and turning his back to the headmaster.

Oz sighed and shut his mouth. Briefly. “I just don’t want you to lose this relationship. I think having a friend has helped you.”

“I’d hardly call us friends. We’ve only met a few times.”

“And yet you ask about her every night.” Oscar choked on air. Oz let out several chuckles. “All I’m saying,” Oz continued, “is that I think Ruby would appreciate something from you.”

Oscar sighed and continued his work on dinner. “Okay,” Oscar said, “I’ll write something tonight.”

“I’ll pick up some flowers,” Oz said. “We can deliver them tomorrow. Make sure your letter is genuine.”

“Obviously,” Oscar agreed, already letting his thoughts wander. What would he say? He was sorry? That didn’t seem like enough. He needed to write something that would truly convey how much he wanted to keep their friendship, without sounding desperate. 

“Just be yourself,” Oz said. “You’re genuine by nature. Say what you want to say.” Oscar thought a while before nodding. “Now, with that aside.” Oz stood and walked to a cupboard, pulling out a large textbook before sitting down again. “Today we’re going over participles for English, atomic structures for science, and polynomials for mathematics.”

“Polynomials again?” Oscar cried.

“It’s a two week lesson, Oscar.”

The boy groaned as he stirred the vegetables.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lack of update, I know. I've been drawing and playing guitar. Shoot me.   
> And yes, it's mostly dialogue. I really like dialogue, okay? Shoot me.


	7. Time Flies (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time lapse of Ruby and Oscar. Starting from fall, ending in late spring. Enjoy the fluff.
> 
> Ruby likes being carried and Oscar doesn't know how to not stutter.

Delivering his gift and letter proved even more nerve-wracking than the planning phase. Oz had initially planned on a face-to-face confrontation at the doorstep, but trying to get a confrontation out of Oscar was worse than pulling teeth. They settled for a doorbell ditch. 

Oscar felt his throat tighten as they drove up to the Xiao Long house under cover of darkness. The buds in the front garden had blossomed into beautiful sunflowers, despite the cooler fall air. A few lights from windows--dimmed by curtains--pierced the darkness. “Alright,” Oz said as he put the car into park, “you drop the stuff off and ring the doorbell. Hide by the side of the house until the package is received. I’ll have the car parked down the road and out of sight. Meet me there when you’re done.” Oscar gave a shaky nod as he exited the car, roses and letter in hand.

“Unless, of course,” Oz said before the boy could close the door, “you decide to actually talk to her--” Oscar shut the car door with a roll of his eyes. He watched as the car circled around and drove back the way they came, crackling on the gravel road. In the light from the house, Oscar reread his note:

_Ruby,  
I cannot express enough how sorry I am. It was uncalled for me to snap at you. So I’ve done some thinking, and I’ve asked Oz for permission._

_Would you accompany me to lunch this Friday?_

_I know it’s short notice, and you are under no obligation to say yes. But I really want to make things up to you. Ruby, you are the first person I’ve genuinely felt friendly with in years. You are amazing. I want to see you more, but I fear I may have ruined my chance. So please, grant me a second chance.  
The choice is yours.  
Sincerely, Oscar_

He closed the letter and saw the red “Ruby” on the cover glisten in the light. The boy nodded and walked up to the doorstep. He gingerly placed the flowers on the doormat with the letter facing the door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door with a firm hand and ran to the side of the house, careful not to step on the sunflowers.  
The door opened, letting a sliver of warm light touch the darkness. A red and black figure peered out, looking from side to side before seeing the package on the doorstep. Oscar watched as she scooped it up carefully and smiled. She _smiled_. Oscar let out the biggest sigh of relief as the door closed. 

*****

Over the next couple days, every time the door opened--little as it may be--Oscar would perk up. It had gotten to Friday and there was still no response from Ruby. A fear had worked its way into his heart: maybe she really didn’t want to be friends anymore. That feeling of being unwanted had haunted him since childhood. He did his best not to think about it, but it was difficult to forget about the girl he so desperately wanted to reconcile with. 

A jingle sounded and Oscar looked up from where he was working on polynomials homework. There stood Ruby, red sweatshirt and all, wearing headphones and carrying a dog-patterned backpack on her shoulders. 

Oscar thought he might faint. He stood up slowly as the girl approached the desk with a smile. “So…” she said in her usual, high voice, “lunch?”

*****

Winter came, and Ruby showed less often. In fact, Oscar encouraged her to stop coming when he noticed she was getting a cold. “Ruby,” he said when he heard the door open. He was back a few shelves, putting out some new porcelain figures that Oz had picked up. “I better not see you when I come back to the counter.” A giggle was the response. 

He rolled his eyes and trudged back to the front of the store, where Ruby had ducked behind the front counter. “Go home, crazy woman!” he swooped down and picked her up around her torso, lifting her over his shoulder like a rolled up carpet. She laughed and squirmed, protesting as he walked towards the door. “You are sick and I can’t take care of you,” he said, setting her down next to the door. “So please,” he said, fixing her beanie for her, “take care of yourself?” She couldn’t say no to that smile. 

*****

“Oscar!” he heard his name before he saw the source. Then a body came crashing into him, entirely knocking him and the broom he was holding over. Ruby rolled off the dazed boy and started shaking his shoulder like a child trying to wake up their parents on Christmas. “School’s out! School’s out!” 

“Awesome!” Oscar said, finally getting his bearings. “What are you gonna do now?” 

“Well,” she started, standing up and pacing the floor, “I need a job, but Yang said there’s a nice one being offered at the cinema. I’m probably going to work there for the summer…” she talked to herself as Oscar stood up and dusted himself off. “Cuz, ya know, college isn’t cheap. But I think I have a chance at the mechanical scholarship this year, if I start working on my project now.” Oscar’s eyes turned to the windows. Was it really only the afternoon? Spring really made the days get longer. 

Suddenly Ruby gasped and Oscar turned his head just in time to see her come face to face with him. “You could help me!” she said. Oscar couldn’t help but smile. Ruby’s positivity was contagious. 

“Uh,” he said nervously, “what are we talking about?”

*****

As it turned out, Ruby’s idea for the mechanical scholarship project was nothing less than a compact six foot scythe that doubled as a high impact sniper rifle. Ruby came into the shop the next day looking like she had gotten no sleep, but dumped out an array of blueprints and sketches on the floor. “Holy moley…” Oscar said, when he stepped around the counter to look at the mess. Ruby had gone overboard. 110% overboard. 

After sitting on the ground next to her blueprints, she tucked her legs into her oversized sweater and fell over sideways in a ball. “Meep.”

“Oh dear,” Oscar said, crouched down to inspect his friend. “What have you done to yourself?”

“I have sparked my inner muse.”

“But at what cost?”

“Just my sanity.” The two busted out laughing. 

Oscar sighed. “Maybe… just this once… I’ll let you raid the pantry downstairs. Only if you buy me breakfast tomorrow.”

“Deal,” Ruby said, unfolding herself from her cocoon. Sometimes Oscar forgot how pale she was, and it made him laugh. She was wearing black shorts and ankle boots instead of her usual leggings. 

Ruby held her hands up like a two year old begging to be carried. Oscar rolled his eyes and crouched down, slinging both of her arms over his neck. “Ready?” he said, waiting for her to nod, “and, up!” Oscar stood up as Ruby jumped, landing her perfectly into a piggy-back ride. He hooked his arms under both of her knees as she tightened her grip around his shoulders and neck. 

“Downstairs, my noble steed,” Ruby commanded.

“How do you even know where the pantry is?”

“One time, I was in the back, looking for where you had disappeared the trash can, and I smelled the faintest waft of egg rolls. So I followed it, and there was this door, but it was locked. But I remember that the ladder is on the other side of the room, so I knew there was no way it led upstairs, so it had to be downstairs.” 

“You have this down to a science, don’t you?”

“I always know where the food is,” she declared proudly as Oscar unlocked the aforementioned door. The two moved downstairs and Oscar clicked on the dim lights. “Woah,” Ruby couldn’t stop herself from saying. It was tiny, but extremely crowded. Complete with a stove, microwave, mini fridge, dozens of cupboards, a dining table, and a door in the corner. 

“Oh,” Oscar said, pointing to the door with one hand, “and there’s the bathroom if you ever need to use it.”

“Good to know,” Ruby laughed. Just then, a faint ring travelled down the stairs, signaling that a customer had entered. They both froze. Ruby hopped off Oscar's back and started shoving him towards the stairs. “Don’t let them touch my blueprints,” she hissed, stifling a giggle.

“Then stay down here and don’t give the customer any weird ideas,” he chuckled, stumbling up the stairs, “the last thing they need to see is two teenagers coming from the basement of a weird shop.” 

It turned out to be just a red haired man with a bowler hat looking for directions. Weird. 

Oscar trotted back downstairs and saw a very dangerous sight: the stove was boiling something and Ruby was just on her scroll at the table, not paying attention. The top of the pot started shifting and Oscar saw white bubbles. She was boiling milk and not paying attention.

“GODS--” Oscar yelped, running to turn off the stove. He used his apron to protect his hand as he removed the top and the bubbles died down. 

Ruby looked up. “Oh hey, welcome back,” she said, completely missing the fact that she almost let milk boil over and inevitably ruin the stove. 

“Ruby!” Oscar gasped, gesturing between the stove and his friend. 

“Yeah, I wanted to make milk tea.”

“You do not leave the stove unattended when boiling milk, Ruby! You do not even _blink_ when boiling milk!” Ruby froze, not really sure if he was mad or not. He looked more panicked than anything. Then he scrunched his face and his shoulders shook. Laughter erupted from him like a tidal wave. “I should…” he wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes, “I should just label this stove ‘Oscar Only’...” 

Ruby matched his giggles, knowing full well of her cooking incompetency. “I was hoping I could get away with using a stove,” she chuckled. “I’m not allowed to use the one at home.”

“Oz isn’t allowed to use the one here either!” Oscar sat on the desk and flopped his head into his arms, taking deep breaths to calm his laughter. Ruby watched him with a smile. Seeing him so carefree was a rare event, and one she rather enjoyed. “Alright,” he said with one last breath, “you go organize your blueprints upstairs, and I’ll make the milk tea. Sound good?” She nodded and Oscar watched as she disappeared back up the stairs. 

*****

Oscar munched on the breakfast burrito Ruby had bought him. “I haven’t the slightest experience with welding,” Oscar said when Ruby started pointing to various parts of the scythe. 

“My uncle and I will do the welding,” Ruby said, waving one hand, “but I could really use your help with the mechanics. Like so,” she pointed to another place on the blueprint. “I need it to be able to fold here, here, and… there. So that it can be compact. And I’ll need it to fold… here…” Ruby bent the paper a tiny bit, “so that it can be extended simply as a gun.”

“That all seems like a welding thing to me.”

“No, cuz I need you to figure out how to trigger it. You draw out the parts and simple machines, my uncle and I will build them. Then we can assemble it and test-drive.” 

“Hmm…” Oscar said, snatching up a pencil from the cup on the counter. He drew a small diagram in the corner of the blueprints, composed of a lever, wedge, and spring with a few other attachments that allowed movement. He muttered a few things to himself and drew some arrows. “This is…” he said as he drew, “a basic mechanism to activate a music box when the top opens.” He gestured to the top half of the mini diagram. “But if you add this lever…” he circled things as he talked, “and a few extra springs, you can rig it to extend something, versus start something. So the question is, how would you ‘open the top?’ And would a switch…” he added another piece, “have the amount of force needed to do that?” Oscar put down the pencil and looked at his little diagram. He knew basic physics, but most of his knowledge came from examination and trial and error.

Ruby’s jaw was scraping the floor. Oscar paused when he noticed her dumbfounded look. “I--uh, just… thinking out loud here,” he mumbled defensively, grabbing his breakfast burrito and eating it guiltily. 

“Why are you just so…” Ruby looked like she was about to explode, “GAH, I just--” She suddenly grabbed Oscar’s face and gave him a giant kiss on the cheek. He nearly choked on his breakfast. An echo of warmth was left where her soft lips once were. She was saying other things, and holding up the diagram, but Oscar wasn’t paying attention in the slightest. Ruby Rose had just kissed him on the cheek.

His heart felt all fluttery on the inside. Slightly uncomfortable, but amazing. He also felt his cheeks heating up. What was this feeling? Different then all the ways Oz had teased him, yet the same. When other people talked about Ruby, he blushed more from embarrassment than anything else. When Ruby kissed him, he blushed from the inside out. What did this mean?

“...right, Oscar?” Ruby asked.

“Gah, umm,” he said, shaking his head, “whatever you think.” He had no idea what she was talking about, but usually agreed with her nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry my updates are lacking. I wrote a genderbent Rosegarden chapter that you can find under my profile if you want. Updates just come when they come, I guess. I'm almost to part three, so stuff's getting juicy.


	8. Meant to Find Each Other (Part 2.5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DID SOMEONE SAY BACKSTORY???? Oscar and Ruby do grief counseling with each other. 
> 
> I couldn't decide if I wanted this in part 2 or 3, so it's in between. Truth be told, I wrote this chapter a loooooong time ago. It was one of the first chapters I wrote.

Every time Ruby came into the store--which was most days--she had more photos of Crescent Rose’s progress to show Oscar on her scroll. Oz was still required to go to the university every day, since summer semester was a thing some students chose to do. But Oscar enjoyed when the man would come home for dinner and teach him lessons. Now their conversation had swapped. Instead of Oscar asking Oz about the school’s gossip, Oz wanted to hear all about Ruby and Oscar’s adventures. Crescent Rose intrigued him too. 

Panic attacks were much less frequent. Sure, some days were harder for Oscar than others. Days where Ruby didn’t come were often boring and lonely, but she also had a job. As much as Oscar wished he could see Ruby every day, he knew she had a life to live too. For the first time, Oscar was rather happy with where he was. Not that he hated living with Oz beforehand. But what Oz had said about loneliness--almost a full year ago--proved to be the answer. Certain things would still set off Oscar’s anxiety, like the dissonance of different metal objects clanging to the ground. The birds in the morning didn’t bother him anymore, thankfully. His past, memories, and the unpleasant emotions that accompanied them rarely occupied his thoughts anymore. 

Until one day, Ruby came over like normal. Oscar had gathered all the loose screws, springs, and bolts around the shop and stored them in a large cardboard box. Ruby was more than willing to help, of course. 

“Wanna help me get these up the ladder?” Oscar asked, looking at Ruby. She nodded happily and lifted the heavy box filled with different sized simple machines. Oscar climbed most of the way up the wooden ladder before hooking one foot around a peg and letting go with his hands. Ruby reached as high as she could with the box and passed it to Oscar, who shoved it through the trapdoor and onto the attic floor with a grunt. He then climbed the rest of the way and disappeared. 

“You can come up if you want,” Oscar called from the attic. Ruby tried to not get too excited over the invitation. She climbed up the ladder and peeked into the tiny room. “It’s not much,” Oscar said with a nervous chuckle. He was sitting at a small table with all sorts of gears and screwdrivers on it and about three unfinished music box mechanisms. On the floor near the little, round window--the only source of light in the room--was a mattress with several thick quilts that were neatly made. Oscar had placed the box of antiques next to the table. Oscar helped Ruby hoist herself into the room. He couldn’t stand up straight against the triangular ceiling, but she barely could. 

“It’s homely,” Ruby said, looking around. There were no decorations. There was a large stack of books near the bed, but that was all the personal items she noticed. And yet with the wood walls, the scent of pine, and simple furniture, Ruby couldn’t help but feel like this was Oscar in a nutshell. “I don’t want to sound rude,” she said, “but it kind of suits you. Like, cabin style and such.” They both let out a giggle. She walked over to his bed and crouched next to it, looking at the book stack. 

“I got those from the Belladonna’s,” Oscar said, “just various fairy tales and fiction stories.” 

“Cool,” Ruby said as she looked at the book spines. Practically all of her favorites were there. She gasped as she held up a book with gray and blue binding. “I love this one!” she said and hugged it. Oscar laughed and came over to sit on the bed. 

Ruby distracted herself for a little while before looking back at Oscar. Several seconds passed. “Why do you live here?” she asked carefully.

Oscar grew silent as the grave, which really freaked Ruby out. “I-I was hoping,” she said quietly, “that since we’re closer, you would finally open up…”

“It’s just not something I talk about a lot.”

“Oh.” Silence followed. “Do you _want_ to talk about it?”

“Not particularly,” Oscar said with a massive sigh, “but you deserve to know some things.”

“Okay,” Ruby said, sitting on the bed next to him. She set down the book she had forgotten about in her arms and gave Oscar her full attention.

“I… I’m not an orphan, but I’m not Oz’s kid either. My aunt and uncle live in southern Mistral on a farm. I grew up there as an only child. I never knew my parents.”

“Then, why did you leave?”

“My uncle. He… he always had a drinking problem. But then he got his hands on some Dust-infused drugs. My aunt and I tried an intervention. So, he grabbed an empty bottle and… my aunt…” Oscar swallowed hard. “Beatings for my aunt and I became regular. The farm was dying. We were running out of money because of his addiction. So, one day, I packed my things and just… ran. As fast and as far as I could.”

Ruby was silent. She could tell there were pieces of the story missing, but if that was all Oscar was willing to tell her at this point, then she would have to accept that. “I’m so sorry,” Ruby said, placing her hand on his forearm. “That sounds awful.”

“I don’t like to think about it much since I have such a good life here now.”

“Hmm,” Ruby said, clearly thinking about something, “well, since we’re sharing secrets, I’ll tell you why my family moved here. We used to live in Vale. My sister, Yang, is actually my half-sister. Her mom left my dad shortly after she was born. Then my mom came into the picture. She was the best. I was born two years after my sister, and one year after mom and dad married. Everything was great. My dad taught classes at the university, my mom took care of Yang and I, and life was practically perfect. Until two years ago.” Ruby’s hands had moved to the edge of her sweater and were clutching the hem as she looked into her lap. “My mom… was killed in a shooting. At my dad’s school. She was in the office dropping off my dad’s lunch, since Yang and I were both attending secondary school during the day, and someone just came in with a gun… seven people died before they took down the guy. My mom was one of them.” A single tear splattered onto the back of her hand, which she wiped away in a split second. It was gone as quickly as it came. 

“Dad was never the same,” Ruby continued. “He really struggled going back to the same school his wife was killed at. Yang and I just… had to keep pretending like everything was fine. The world doesn’t stop turning, even when you need it to.” A single sniffle. “Eventually, he couldn’t handle the guilt and grief anymore and had to quit at the end of the school year.” Ruby sighed and changed her tone. “But then Qrow told Tai about Professor Ozpin. He got in contact, scheduled the interview, and got the job in a few weeks. None of us were too upset about leaving. Starting a life somewhere new. Sure, I miss Vale and my friends and my school, but… it was just a little too painful sometimes.” Another tear fell from her eyes. “Dang it,” she said with a half-hearted laugh, “I didn’t want to cry about this anymore.” She dried her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater and took a deep breath before putting on a smile and looking back at Oscar. 

“My point is,” she continued, “that we don’t have to forget about our past lives to keep living. We keep a part of them with us, always. I’m constantly told that I look just like my mom…” Ruby paused and stared at her hands for a bit, “but I know that I don’t want to be her copy. I don’t want to be seen as another Summer Rose. I want to be Ruby Rose. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend she didn’t exist or ignore the fact that I’m her daughter. Sometimes, scars aren’t just for reminding us of the pain we endured…” She intertwined her fingers with Oscar’s gloved hands. “They keep us from forgetting the most crucial things we learned. And, more importantly, overcame.” Ruby placed one hand on Oscar’s cheek and turned his face to hers. 

“I’m not a grief counselor,” she said with a sad smile, “but I’m your friend. And you refuse to talk about your problems, and I can’t shut up. So maybe we were meant to find each other, yeah?” Oscar searched her silver eyes, not really sure what he was looking for. All he found was love and hope. 

Both of his hands travelled to hers, clutching them tightly. “Yeah,” he said, eyes flickering between hers. His heart felt like it might explode in his chest. He simply wanted to hold Ruby and never let her go, but wasn't sure if she was ready for that level of affection yet. 

“Thank you,” Oscar said quietly, releasing a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. “I didn't know I needed this."

“That’s what friends are for, right?” Ruby replied. 

Oscar let out a chuckle. “Guess so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short! I went for quality, not quantity. And hey, it's a quick update.


	9. Tied to Him (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Ozpin thinks of Oscar. And how Oscar finally shows Ruby affection.
> 
> We've hit part 3 baby. For those who thought this would be all fluff, THINK AGAIN B*TCHES. MWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!! There's a plot. There's danger. There's angst. And we're _barely_ scratching the surface. 
> 
> I've got a buffer on chapters again (cuz I wrote most of the angsty chapters before the beginning, lol), so hopefully I'll be updating quicker.

Oscar knew something was off the minute Oz walked through the door. His shoulders sagged the slightest bit and his briefcase looked like it was barely clinging to his fingers. Oscar stood up from his stool cautiously as Ozpin approached the desk. It was already dark out, even though the days were long--Oz was very late. “What happened?” Oscar asked solemnly.

“Another school branch,” Ozpin said, “in Vale. I need to be there as soon as possible.”

“What?” Oscar wasn’t sure exactly how far away Vale was, but he knew it was on another continent entirely. “Why?”

“Emergency,” Ozpin said. “Classified.” Oscar tilted his head when he noticed Ozpin still hadn’t removed his suit coat. Ozpin met Oscar’s eyes, reading his thoughts. “Yes, I am leaving tonight.” He sighed. “So there will be no dinner or lessons. I simply came to… tell you.” Oz stopped when he saw how much Oscar wilted. But he wasn’t done. “To make matters worse, there’s a storm coming this week.” Oscar exhaled, buzzing his lips. 

“Tornado warning?”

“Yes. You remember the procedure?”

“Of course. I’ll bundle up the merchandise.”

“And hide in the cellar?”

“And hide in the cellar.” Ozpin gave another glance over Oscar with sad eyes as the boy fidgeted with his gloves and stared at the desk. 

“I’ve phoned Tai and let him know where I’m going. If things start going south or you get too nervous, Tai agreed to take you in. But, I’ll leave the choice to you.” Ozpin put his hand on Oscar’s shoulder, forcing him to meet his eyes. “You’re almost seventeen. You still have much to learn before I feel comfortable sending you off to the world, but I trust you to take care of yourself.” Oscar dropped his gaze again. “Promise me you will take care of yourself.”

Oscar nodded, but said nothing. “I need to hear you say it,” Ozpin pleaded. 

“There’s a lot of variables in this situation.”

“Your well-being should not be one of them.”

“You have more pressing matters to attend to. I will be okay.”

“Oscar, you know that I…” Ozpin trailed off again. He desperately wanted to say something. Something he should have told Oscar a long time ago, but could never work up the courage. “Stay safe,” he said quietly, reaching out and ruffling the boy’s untamable hair. “I’ll try to keep Tai updated, and he can do the same for you. I’m not entirely sure how long I’ll be there. But I need to leave now to catch a flight.” Oz pulled out his scroll and checked a few things before tucking it away. He swiveled around and started walking towards the door. Just before he slipped into the night, he took one last look at the boy. 

When he first came to Oz, Oscar was a silent little boy. Scars still raw and disturbingly underweight, the boy was terrified of his own shadow. He had been stumbling down the street, looking like he hadn’t eaten in days, and Oz saw him in the shop windows. Something reached to him in that moment, begging him to follow--to run--after this boy. And he did. 

The boy didn’t talk for several days and rarely left the tiny attic that Oz had filled with a mattress and desk. One day, Oz had been testing an old music box he picked up from a yard sale when the boy finally climbed down the ladder. Oz heard the thumping of the boots before he saw the small shadow peeking around the desk. After a bit of small talk, Oz found out that his name was Oscar. He was fourteen years old, despite looking like he was twelve. Oz felt an instinct kick in. This boy needed to be protected. Nurtured. Oz couldn’t scare him away, no matter how curious he was. So, he struck a deal: take care of the shop and Oscar would have a home. Cook him dinner, Oscar would get a proper education. 

It took almost a full year before Oscar opened up about his past. By that time, Ozpin made it a great deal to be more than just his employer. He _wanted_ to be part of the boy’s life. But Oscar didn’t seem accustomed to the idea of care--of love. He took every act of service, every sign of affection, with a grain of salt. He never asked for anything. Ozpin grew to realize that Oscar was a fairly independent boy and should be treated as such. Oz could tell that the boy appreciated being given his own choice in matters. 

Perhaps the most fulfilling experience was watching him grow. He sprouted like a handsome tree--strong and well rooted. Despite his anxiety, he had a firm grasp on reality and the difficulties of life. Perspective was Oscar’s most beautiful trait.   
“Oscar,” Ozpin said, snapping out of his thoughts but unsuccessfully dissipating his emotions, “there are people around you who care for you.” He paused and turned his head back to the door, one hand lingering on the handle. “Please don’t forget that.”   
Oz left. 

*****

“Woah,” Ruby said when she walked into the store early that morning, “what’s all this?” Oscar had taken his regular tornado precautions--as specified by Oz--to shift all the shelves in little triangles facing each other, stack extra merchandise in the center, and then tie them with rope from the cellar. It kept most of the oddities safe and unbroken should a window bust open. With Oz gone in Vale, it meant Oscar had to do a lot of work today.

“Ruby,” Oscar said, nearly falling off the bar stool he was standing on to get some items off higher shelves, “what are you doing here?” He instantly set down the things he was holding and got off the stool, rushing past her to the windows. The sky was already turning green. “You need to get home,” Oscar said, turning to face her with a very concerned look.

“But I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Ruby said. “My dad told me that Oz is out of town right now.”

“I’ll be fine,” Oscar said, “but you should get home. Now.” He grabbed her forearm and opened the door. There was a slight wind, but it was obvious the real storm hadn’t started yet.

“What?” Ruby said, yanking her arm out of his grasp. “No way. There’s _no way_ this place is safe.” She placed her hand over Oscar’s on the doorknob and closed the door. “I’m here to get you. You’re coming with me.”

“I have the cellar,” Oscar said, pointing towards the back.

“Oz isn’t here and you’re not an adult yet.”

“I’ve been through tons more tornadoes than you.”

“But you haven’t noticed the tree out front?” She had a point. There was a dying tree planted on the parking strip in front of the Belladonna’s that was hardly sturdy. Each time a tornado came around, they all watched and prayed that it wouldn’t fall. And it hadn’t so far. 

“It hasn’t fallen yet…” Oscar said, instantly realizing how dumb that sounded. 

Ruby sighed and grabbed both of his hands, causing his face to flame. “Maybe it is because I haven’t been through as many tornadoes as you that I’m overly cautious,” she said, hanging her head. “And I worry for you. I don’t know why, but I have a really bad feeling about all this.” She lifted her eyes and looked right into his. “There’s just… too many things that could go wrong.”

“I--” Oscar wasn’t sure what to say. A part of him felt like he would be betraying Oz if he left the store, even though the professor wasn’t there. Another part of him didn’t want to leave such a familiar place. But mostly, he just wasn’t afraid. “I don’t--” Oscar couldn’t really get words out. His eyes kept darting around the room, looking anywhere but at Ruby. 

“I can’t,” Oscar said, slowly shaking his head. “I can’t leave.”

“What? Of course you can.”

“I still have to rearrange shelves.”

“Then I’ll help you!”

“No!” Ruby flinched. She had rarely heard Oscar raise his voice before. Oscar made himself flinch too. “I’m sorry…” he said with a sigh, “I shouldn’t raise my voice.” He tightened his grasp on her hands and visibly sunk.

“Will…” Ruby asked softly, “will you at least tell me why you can’t leave?” 

Oscar was silent for a while, but nodded. “I…” he started, not exactly sure how he wanted to explain it, “I owe Ozpin _everything_. He’s saved my life in more ways than one. And even though he’s not here, I feel like if I leave the store…”

“... you’ll leave him,” Ruby finished when Oscar couldn’t. “But don’t you think Oz would want you to be safe?”

“We’ve always been safe in the cellar,” Oscar said.

“Would he be okay if you hid in _our_ cellar this time?” 

Oscar couldn’t help but snicker at that. “That sounds like something a serial killer would say.”

Ruby giggled too. “Consider you my person of interest.” She stood on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. Butterflies exploded in his stomach, and he found himself blushing from the inside out again. Though these feelings and reactions were slightly uncomfortable, he couldn’t help but smile. 

“I…” Oscar struggled to talk through his uncontrollable smile. “Umm--” Oscar moved his hands to cup her face when she pulled away. He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. “I appreciate your concern,” he whispered, letting go of her face as hastily as he had grabbed it, “but I think you’re worrying over nothing.”

Ruby’s cheeks dusted pink, but gave him a sad smile. “I hope this turns out to be nothing.” 

“It will,” Oscar said gently. 

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be here at the counter waiting for you.” Ruby hardly looked content to leave, but knew she wasn’t changing Oscar’s decision. He’d been here many more years than Ruby. He probably knew what he was talking about.

She prayed the constricting feeling in her heart meant nothing as she left the shop and headed for her car under the green sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, skies turn green when tornados are about to hit. Look it up. Also, I definitely include quotes from the show on purpose, even if different characters say them sometimes. It's fun to weave canon stuff in.


	10. Blood, sweat, and tears (part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Natural] Disaster strikes. The Belladonna's fall victim. Ghira, Kali, and Oscar are all saved by Tai because Ruby gave someone a phone call. 
> 
> I split this section into 2 chapters, since it's two arcs. It's a completely smooth transition though.

A horrible crash awoke him even through his earmuffs, followed by the rattling of the shop. The wind whooshed violently and rattled the door. Oscar shot up and observed his surroundings. The basement was still untouched from what he could see, but the power had gone out. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness as he stood and removed his earmuffs. 

The sounds came crashing in his ears like an elephant stampede. The door at the top of the stairs sounded like it may break at any second. Oscar travelled up the stairs cautiously, steeling his nerves, and listened by the door. With how relentless the wind was pounding, Oscar deducted a window must have shattered. He gulped as knots tied in his stomach, but reassured himself that he was safe behind the door. 

Curiosity wormed into his thoughts, and before he could stop himself, he had opened the door a crack and gripped the handle tight to keep the door from flying open. Sure enough, wind was coursing through the shop and moving around the looser objects. His eyes darted to the source and his blood ran cold.

A window hadn’t shattered. The wall that Oz’s shop shared with the Belladonna’s had broken underneath the weight of a dead tree collapsing on it. Oscar could find no words, but acted nonetheless. He pushed himself out of the doorway and closed the door behind him, pressing his back against the wall as he adjusted to the windy environment. Oxygen seemed to dance around him and zoom passed before he could breathe it in. The tornado must have been fairly close.

Oscar narrowed his eyes and held up an arm against the hole in the wall. Pushing forward, he latched onto the tree truck and looked through the gash it had created. Books were flying everywhere, paper was unattached and flying like leaves, but the Belladonna’s were nowhere in sight. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna!” Oscar shouted as loud as he could. The wind took his words away. Oscar carefully climbed around the tree truck and through the wall, nearly falling over several times. He finally hopped into the bookstore. 

They didn’t have a cellar, Oscar remembered Oz telling him. Oz had often offered the Belladonna’s their cellar for refuge, but they always politely refused. This time, it appears the tornado had come much closer than before, and the dead tree finally came down. “Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna!” Oscar cried again, eyes searching through the mess. Several large bookshelves were down--they could have been underneath one. 

One in particular caught his attention in the corner of the store. It had obviously tipped and no longer stood upright, but hadn’t fallen all the way down either, as if something was preventing it from touching the ground. Oscar knew Mr. Belladonna was a fairly large man, though the bookshelf looked heavy enough to pin him. Oscar crouched and ran across the store towards the corner. 

But he tripped. His foot had gotten caught on a magazine rack and he tumbled, magazine rack following. Oscar groaned as something thin and sharp collided with the side of his head, above his temple. The magazine rack wasn’t very heavy, and he was able to push it off him with ease--but the source of the cool liquid slowly dripping down the side of his face had been caused by the sharp edge. 

Oscar stood up again and staggered over to the fallen bookshelf. Now that he was closer, he could see a slim arm peeking out from underneath. “Mrs. Belladonna!” Oscar cried, kneeling nearby and glancing under the bookshelf. Mr. Belladonna’s body was taking most of the weight as he laid with Kali in his arms, though she appeared to be unconscious as well. Oscar stood and tried to lift the bookcase, but it wouldn’t budge. Perhaps if he took off all the books that lay like sardines on the upward side. 

The boy wiped his temple and ear with his apron, feeling his stomach drop when the red stained the fabric. Adrenaline continued to pump through his veins, however, as he grabbed as many books as his hands could and tossed them off the shelf. Any other day, Oscar would have been afraid of paper cuts from all the flying paper. Any other day, Oscar would curse himself for treating perfectly good books so harshly. But Oscar needed to save the Belladonna’s. 

It was a slow process, and Oscar sometimes felt a book whack him in the back, but that didn’t stop him. The bookshelf was massive and nearly full, guarded from the wind by its angle. Oscar had no idea how long he was heaving books off the shelves, but it felt like eternity. The hardest part was knowing that Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna lay underneath helplessly, though Oscar wasn’t even sure if they were still alive or not. Tears streamed down his face, eventually mixing with the blood trailing to his chin. 

By the time the bookshelf was empty, Oscar was exhausted and breathing heavily. He rushed around, stepping over book piles and positioned his back underneath the top of the bookcase facing away from the Belladonna’s. He grunted and groaned as he tried to stand, using the momentum from his legs to push the heavy structure upwards. Even with all the effort in his tired, bleeding body, he could only lift it a few inches off of the Belladonna’s bodies. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna!” Oscar hollered over his shoulder as he tried to maintain his position, “please wake up!” He heard no stirring and saw nobody emerge from under the bookcase out of the corner of his eye. “Hey!” he called as loud as he could, “get up! Please! Gah--” Oscar trembled under the weight of the massive wood structure. There was no way he could get them out without help. The adrenaline could only take him so far.

“...ar…” a faint voice called, though Oscar wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not. The wind made all sorts of noises. The boy searched around the shop with panicked eyes, praying that someone was there. “Oscar!” he heard a man’s voice say as none other than Taiyang Xiao Long ran into Oz’s shop. Oscar recognized the blond hair through the hole in the wall. 

“Tai!” Oscar called, getting the man’s attention. Tai noticed and ran through the stores, hurtling obstacles with ease. “Get them out from underneath!” As Tai approached, Oscar gestured to the couple with his head. Tai took one look at the boy, who was hopelessly shaking from effort, and nodded, first grabbing Mrs. Belladonna and sliding her out, then gripping both of Mr. Belladonna’s arms and pulling him out. Within a few seconds, Tai was next to Oscar and helped him lower the bookshelf without hurting himself. 

“Why are you here?” Oscar shouted against the wind, though he wasn’t unhappy about Tai’s lucky appearance.

“Let’s get them in the car and I’ll explain!” Tai slung Ghira’s arms over his shoulders and dragged the huge man along while Oscar carried Kali bridal-style. Thank the gods that Kali was so tiny. Oscar followed Tai out the front door and around the corner where an empty car was parked on the side of the road. Tai wordlessly opened the back door and put Ghira in as Oscar set Kali in the passenger seat. The wind kept the door from shutting on Oscar’s first attempt, so Oscar slammed it harder before piling in the back with Ghira. 

Oscar debated trying to buckle up Ghira, but took one look at the man’s massive frame and decided against it. He made sure he was buckled, though. 

Tai slammed the drivers door shut and started the car, putting it into drive before he even put on his seatbelt. The car cut through the wind, but it was very loud, and Oscar still found himself having to raise his voice to talk with Tai. “What are you doing out here?” Oscar asked, leaning forward in his seat.

“Ruby told Oz what you said, and since he couldn’t call you, he told me to pick you up instead. He said he had a bad feeling and wanted you safe,” Tai nearly shouted back, “but it took a few hours for Oz to reply, so I’m sorry I’m late!”

“No, it’s fine! I’d be totally alright if the tree hadn’t come down.”

“Guess Oz was right though.”

“Guess so,” Oscar agreed and looked out the window. Trees along the path to the Xiao Long residence blocked a good view of the world, but he saw the green sky and ominous clouds. 

“Oscar, you’re bleeding,” Taiyang noticed when he looked through the rear-view mirror. Oscar snatched his apron again and wiped the side of his face, which was again dripping blood. 

“I don’t think it’s anything too serious,” the boy responded, “just a cut.”

“We’ll look at it when we get home,” Tai said with a nod. 

*****

“Get them inside!” Tai yelled as he put the car in park. Oscar had to force open the car door against the wind. He opened the passenger seat door and slung Kali’s arm around his shoulder, hoisting up the small woman as he ran to the door. Tai was close behind him with Ghira over his back.The man’s strength was impressive. 

Tai opened the front door more forcefully than he needed to. After all four of them were through the door, Oscar kicked it shut. “Downstairs,” Tai said, moving down the hall and opening a door to the right that revealed a set of carpeted stairs. Oscar had no idea how Tai made carrying Ghira down the stairs look so easy. Luckily, Kali hardly weighed anything. Downstairs, there was a central gathering area attached to a half kitchen. A hallway with several doors was towards the left. Zwei came running up to the basement door as soon as it opened, anxiously awaiting Tai's return. Oscar followed as Tai let Ghira down on a couch, placing Kali nearby. Oscar and Tai exchanged a glance and a sigh, before both kicking off their wet shoes and placing them by the stairs as Zwei sniffed the unconscious Belladonna's.

“I’m under direct orders from Oz to keep you here until he gets back,” Tai said, arms folded across his chest intimidatingly. “However long that may take. Thankfully, the tornado seems to have turned away. There’s no telling what kind of damage it’ll do to--”

“Oscar!” the boy turned his head to see a flash of red. Ruby slowed when she saw him, however. Blood had started streaking down the side of his face again his apron had several red spots. 

“Go grab Yang,” Tai said to Ruby, “all three of them need to get looked at.” Ruby looked like she had seen a ghost, glancing between the two for a while before nodding and scurrying off. “Oscar, why don’t you go to the bathroom and try to get the bleeding to stop. Last door down the hall.” Oscar nodded and rushed to the bathroom, noticing the candles that lit the room due to the power outage. Oscar grabbed some tissues at first and stacked them against his head, but it wasn’t working so well. He noticed a figure in the mirror.

“Here,” Yang said, walking in with a small, damp towel. She pressed it against the side of his head and used the tail to wipe the blood on his jawline. 

“Thanks,” Oscar said with a sigh, though he felt embarrassed. She started to walk out, but left the towel in his hands.

“I’ve got to phone Blake and tell her what happened, since she’s staying at the dorms right now.” Oscar moved and sat on top of the toilet, exhaling forcefully. His head hurt, but he wasn’t exhibiting any signs of a concussion. He heard some bustling and conversation from the main room as Tai and his two daughters tended to the Belladonna’s. 

“I’m sorry,” Oscar muttered to no one in particular. 

Yang came back in a while later. “Alright, I’ve got some bandages and antibacterial cream. Let’s have a look at it.” Oscar slowly brought away the towel, which had a decent amount of red splotches now, away from his head and looked at Yang. She squatted next to him and lifted up his hair over his temple, causing him to flinch a bit. “It’s fairly small,” she said as she squinted at the cut that Oscar couldn’t see, “but deep enough to bleed a lot. Maybe you should get it checked out tomorrow or something. See if it needs stitches. But for now,” she put some cream on her finger and gently dabbed in on Oscar’s tender head, “it’s stopped bleeding. So I’m just gonna wrap this around your head and hope for the best.” Yang did so and let Oscar examine her work in the mirror as she washed her hands. The bandages stood out against his dark hair and skin, like a line across his head. It was kind of comical, despite the throbbing. 

“Here,” she said, pointing to a nearby closet door, “put the towel and your apron in the washer and we’ll start a load soon.” Oscar nodded and opened the closet door with his elbow before setting the blood-stained pieces in and going back to the bathroom to wash his hands as Yang left. He sighed and looked at his gloved hands. Turning on the faucet, he rubbed his fingers under the water and tried to scrub any hint of blood off the cloth gloves before turning it off and drying his hands the best he could. Oscar couldn’t bring himself to take them off. 

“Are you okay?” a voice asked from the doorway. Oscar jumped, but recognized it. Ruby was leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, dim light from the candles casting a shadow over her face. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and her arms were folded.

“I’m fine,” Oscar said, hands lingering on the drying towel. He wasn’t entirely sure how to approach Ruby now. In a way, he felt like she had gone behind his back by contacting Oz. But he knew she was just wanting to make sure he was safe. 

Ruby seemed to perceive his thoughts. “I’m sorry if you feel like I went behind your back,” she said with a sigh, “but I was really worried. Oz was too. And dad told me how he found you.” Oscar refused to look at her, but felt her approach him in the tiny bathroom. “But you’re here now, and that’s what matters. Right?” She sounded unsure of herself, as if needing confirmation that he wasn’t going to give her the cold shoulder. 

Oscar had many thoughts and feelings going through him, but one was stronger than the rest: he cared about Ruby, and he knew Ruby cared about him. That was all that mattered, somehow. “Right,” Oscar said, turning to face her with a smile in the corner of his mouth. 

Ruby’s eyes shimmered, as if on the brink of tears. Then she rammed into him, wrapping her arms around him tight and burying her face into his chest. Oscar instantly hugged her back, one hand stroking her short hair. No more words needed to be said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I received a question about the world they are living in, and I can’t believe I haven’t explained this sooner! So sorry! They live in Remnant, only there are no Grimm. Dust still exists, but there is no need for huntsmen. Universities and colleges are attended instead of huntsman academies. Schooling is broken up differently, with half of highschool being taught to 16-17 yo’s, and the second half being taught to 18-19 yo’s. Adulthood is technically 18, though most don’t actually start adult life until 20. Oscar is freshly 16 at the start, Ruby is 18, Yang is 20. The reason Ruby is building Crescent Rose is because Oz’s school is offering a mechanical scholarship (Ruby’s career path) for the best project by the start of the year. So, Ruby enlists Qrow and Oscar to help her make this thing happen by fall. Hope that all makes sense, and I’m so sorry I didn’t clarify it sooner!


	11. Underneath it All (part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the last chapter, picking up immediately where we left off.
> 
> Oscar and Ruby talk. Their conversation goes all over the place. Oscar has trauma (no shiz Sherlock), and Ruby loves him anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES IMPLIED SELF/HARM AND SUICIDE REFERENCES.  
> THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES SPICE (I'll give a warning before it happens if you would feel more comfortable skipping).
> 
> But, this is my favorite chapter. I wrote this weeks ago. I hope you enjoy it.

“You’re soaking,” she said when they finally pulled away. She pinched a lock of his hair and water dripped out. “Let’s at least get you a clean shirt.” Oscar followed her down a hallway with lots of doors. She turned into one that looked like the master bedroom. Opening the closet and flipping through shirts on hangers, she said, “I think you would fit in Uncle Qrow’s shirts better, but all of his smell like alcohol. I’m pretty sure you don’t want that.” Oscar laughed nervously.   
Suddenly, the house rattled. A reminder that they were still in the middle of a storm. The two shared a look before continuing. 

Ruby pulled a basic, orange t-shirt off a hanger and held it up, eyeing it. “This one looks the least stretched out,” she said with a shrug. She threw the shirt at Oscar, who barely caught it. “When was the last time you ate?” Ruby asked, turning back to the closet to return the hanger and put things back where they belong. After he didn’t respond, Ruby closed the closet and turned around, opening her mouth to ask again. 

Oscar had a look on his face like a child being caught doing something naughty. His wet shirt was discarded on the floor and he was holding up the orange one, about to put his arms through it. Bottom line was that he was not… wearing… a shirt…

Ruby practically exploded and swiveled around to face the closet, nearly giving herself a concussion with how hard her head hit the closed door. “WARN ME NEXT TIME,” she clasped her hands behind her neck and pressed her forehead to the closet door, trying to distract herself from what she had just witnessed. 

Ruby could not deny that she liked what she saw. His torso hadn’t been quite as tan as his arms and face, but he had patches of freckles on his shoulders. He had some of his lower rib bones showing through his skin, but also a good looking six pack. Ruby’s face heated up on that last detail. She knew he was muscular, despite being so underweight, she just didn’t know he was that muscular… 

And oh gods, she would die for those shoulder freckles.

Oscar muttered a “sorry,” though she had no doubt he was just as embarrassed as she was. 

After a few seconds of hearing fabric shift, Ruby questioned, “Are you decent now?” She felt her face heat up again.

“Yes,” he mumbled. She turned around to see Oscar sitting on the edge of the bed--wearing a shirt, thank gods--holding his wet shirt up and flipping it around. 

“Here,” Ruby said, coming over to him, “I can show you where the washer and dryer are.” He nodded, standing up. Just then, Ruby noticed that his neck bandages were soaked as well. She’d gotten so used to seeing them on him that she’d almost forgotten about them. His gloves too. “Umm,” she suggested hesitantly, “maybe we should wash your bandages and gloves too? Or at least hang them up to dry?”

One of his hands let go of the shirt to move to his neck and graze the bandages. His face paled and he shook his head. “It’s alright,” he said, “they can stay.” 

“Oscar,” Ruby coaxed, “those will irritate your skin if they don’t get the chance to dry.”

“I don’t want to take them off.” The house shook again.

Ruby paused for a while. “You’ve worn gloves and bandages since day one, but you never explained why,” she carefully grabbed the hand that was touching his neck. She turned it over and inspected it, wishing that she could just see what was below the gloves without forcing him to take them off. “And I fear there may be something bigger going on here,” she said quietly, clasping his hand between both of hers. “Do you trust me enough to tell me?”

Oscar stood like a deer in headlights. He had gone so far to convince himself that the gloves and bandages were just a part of his skin at this point. The fact that Ruby acknowledged it before he was ready shook him to his core. The only people who knew what lay under them were Ozpin and… his aunt and uncle. 

“I…” he said, eyes looking at the hand that she clasped, “it’s--umm…” Suddenly his skin burned. Not in the way he felt when he was around Ruby, nor as if he had just touched a hot pan. But his wrists and neck burned as if they refused to be forgotten or hidden anymore. He was suddenly hyper-aware of their presence. 

Oscar struggled to stand up. “Privacy,” he said, clutching his head as he felt a panic attack coming on, “we need to find someplace private.”  
Ruby figured he didn’t think her dad’s bedroom was the most private place. She went with the next best thing. Ruby guided him down the hall to another room, shutting and locking the door. She helped him sit on the crimson bed and sat next to him, rubbing his back as he placed his head in his hands. 

“Oscar?” she asked gently as he took some deep breaths, “what can I do to help?”

He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, “don’t worry about it.” She wasn’t going to accept that answer so easily. Ruby took his face in her hands and turned it towards her, eyes narrowed in determination, yet flooded with kindness and compassion. 

“What will calm you down right now?” Oscar couldn’t help but stare at her eyes, though they didn’t exactly calm him down. His gaze flickered from one silver orb to the other, breath still heightened, as his thoughts relentlessly churned. 

Suddenly, a memory came to Ruby. She gave him a slight nod and moved off the bed. Tearing through her closet, she found what she was looking for: a music box. The very one she had bought from Oz’s store the first day they had met. She knelt in front of Oscar and cranked it several times before opening the egg-shaped lid. The high melody played out, challenging the only other noise in the small room: Oscar’s panicked breaths. But as the notes danced like fairies on an invisible string, it became the only real sound left in the world. Oscar’s damp, gloved hands slowly accepted the object and traced the silver rings engraved on the wood. It really was beautiful.   
Ruby watched carefully as Oscar’s large, colorful eyes barely shifted from the mechanism in his hands to the gloves that covered them. Orange and worn, still with some water stains, they looked like a smile covering a tearful face. 

“You’re right,” he said with a hushed voice, “I need to take them off.” Ruby wanted to whisper him words of comfort, but had nothing in mind to say. She was almost afraid to see what was underneath, but knew that it was time. Oscar moved the slowing music box to the side of him on the bed.

They both held their breaths as he took off his gloves. 

Ruby didn’t see anything out of the ordinary at first, other than the slight wrinkling from water on his fingertips and a definite tanline at his wrist. Finally, she saw the scars. They weren’t in the place she was expecting them to be. Perhaps she hadn’t really had an expectation or prediction about what he was hiding. But when she saw the scars concentrated entirely on the inside of his wrists, she knew why. That was no mistake. No childhood accident or farm tools mishap could have created those. Straight, thick lines running across the whole inner half of the space below his palm. Too many to be wrinkles, too dark to be tan lines. These were scars from a knife. Undoubtedly, his own. 

Ruby returned to herself as Oscar’s hands moved to his neck to remove the bandages there. But now that she knew what his gloves had been hiding, she didn’t really want to see what the scars on his neck would look like. He slowly unwrapped the bandages like a long scarf. Ruby’s stomach plummeted at the sight of healed burns. Only about an inch wide, they stretched around his entire neck. They were splotchy and white-ish scars, obviously not from a knife, that kept in an oddly straight line. As if something thin wrapped around his neck and burned him. She was confused initially. But what could burn in a straight line like that? Unless the burn wasn’t directly from the object… like a friction burn. 

A rope burn. 

Ruby had to cover a mouth to stifle whatever noise was threatening to escape. Screams? Sobs? She wasn’t really sure. Whatever the sound a heart makes when it breaks twice over. 

Oscar held the garments in his hands and hung his head low, holding them out like a criminal ready to be handcuffed. Ruby could find no words. Half of her wanted him to put the coverings back on. The other half wanted them to spontaneously combust. Oscar had trusted her a great deal with this new information; she felt the weight of it. 

Ruby stood on shaky legs and took his gloves, bandages, and wet shirt in a bundle. Oscar didn’t move from his wilted position. Ruby bent down and gave him a gentle kiss on the top of his head before turning and exiting her bedroom. She moved down the hall to the washing machine and dryer that lay hidden behind a closet door. It took her only a few seconds to prepare the machine, but there was some heavy emotion attached to watching the garments disappear into the gaping hole that was the washing machine. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Ruby sighed and started the washer as the shaking of the house grounded her thoughts.   
When she returned to her room, she found Oscar laying on her bed, back to the door, fiddling with the music box. At that moment, he looked so small. Just a boy in an oversized shirt, curled up into a ball on a crimson bed, playing with an item as delicate as his heart. Something about the sight made Ruby want to cry.   
Even as she entered the room and closed the door behind her, he didn’t flinch. 

She came and sat on the edge of the bed, observing Oscar. He kept rewinding the music box after a single playthrough. With Ruby’s position and the way his head was flopped to the side, she could see his eyes very clearly. The mix of greens and oranges that often sparkled like a sunset were dulled. He stared meaningless holes into the contraption in his hands, occasionally blinking. Somehow, his baby face was completely emotionless. 

He only showed response to her presence when she placed a hand over his upward arm. The eyes that she had grown to love so much shifted from their glazed look on the music box to glance at her arm. He refused to meet her gaze. “Are you tired?” Ruby asked softly. “You can sleep here. I can even grab another mattress and bring it in here if you’d rather not be alone.” She gave him a gentle, patient smile. 

Oscar, considerate as ever, looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn’t have the strength. He instead shifted upwards and moved under the blankets before pushing himself further away from Ruby. She felt a twinge of hurt.

Until he looked back at her and folded open the corner of the blanket. Oh. He finally met her eyes with a silent, soft plea. Of course Ruby couldn’t say no to that.   
With a sigh through her nose, she crawled next to him and shimmied under the covers. Only then did she notice his shivering. She rolled to match his position with her back facing the door. One arm snuck around his torso and pulled her body as close to his back as she possibly could. The hair on his neck tickled her nose. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to ease as her senses filled with Oscar. The house trembled on its foundation, but Ruby hardly cared. She just clutched the boy in her arm and wrapped herself around him. 

“When did it happen?” Ruby asked carefully, “y-you’re scars, I mean.” Oscar was silent for so long that Ruby thought he may have already fallen asleep.

“I was thirteen,” he said, his voice vibrating Ruby’s body ever so slightly. “I’ve told you a bit about my living situation, but… this is my deepest kept secret of my past, I believe. Mostly because it’s not only scary to other people, but it terrifies me.” His voice broke a bit on the last line. “When you live in a place so lonely, so cold, so unloving as that farm… even you stop loving yourself. And when that happens,” he swallowed, “no one is there to keep your spirits up. It’s easy to slip.” 

Ruby fought back tears. Now wasn’t the time to cry.

“My aunt wasn’t in any position to notice, and my uncle wouldn’t have cared either way. The only reason they hadn’t given me up was because I was still useful. Having me around was better than having no one. So one day, I grabbed a rope and… I…”

“You don’t have to say it,” Ruby muttered thickly, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to handle it either.

“But my aunt found me before I was completely gone. She saved my life. I was so angry at her for the longest time, too. But now, I just pity her. She’d lost everything, and was about to lose me too. My scars don’t just remind me of my pain and all the hardship I went through…” Oscar’s voice changed to an emotion a little less recognizable. “They remind me of who I left behind.” 

Ruby felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. This boy, who had lived through hell, felt guilty for not bringing one of his own devils out of it? 

“But,” Ruby whispered, “you’re okay now?”

“Yes,” Oscar said, “I ran away shortly thereafter and found Oz. He helped me heal. My anxiety hasn’t gone away, of course. But without being a proper citizen, I can’t get treatment for it. So I just have to deal with it.” He paused before adding, “But I would much rather deal with anxiety and PTSD every day then go back there. And Ruby?” Her heart fluttered at her name. “I’ve never really been able to tell you exactly how much you mean to me. How much your influence has impacted my life for the better. I’ve never had the chance to have friends.” Ruby flinched the tiniest bit at that last word. “And I’ve never had the chance for love either.”   
Ruby couldn’t stop the slight smirk that danced on her lips and the heat that rose to her cheeks. There was the word: love. One of his hands--ungloved, for once--touched the arm she had wrapped around his chest. “That is what I’m feeling, right?” he whispered, gently taking her hand and pressing it to his heart. She closed her eyes and felt for its beat. Steady, but quickened. Probably mirroring her own. 

“Well,” Ruby said, “I know how _I_ feel.” She watched as he shifted onto his back, head turned to look at her. “Maybe I could help?” Their eyes met for a moment before Ruby looked at the hand that still laid on his chest. “Because, I know this boy who is the kindest, most lovable person I know. He’s brave in a way most people have never had to be. And he’s not perfect, but he’s trying. And I get to see him try. I get to help him try. Everyday I spend with him makes me want to be better. He reminds me that humanity can be beautiful and life can be worthwhile.” Ruby’s whole body felt hot, but she finally tore her gaze away from her hand and looked Oscar in his adorable eyes. “And that’s why I love him.”

Oscar’s hazel orbs widened. He shifted and boosted himself onto his elbows, chest towards the ceiling. He looked her over several times with surprised eyes. This certainly wasn’t the reaction she had anticipated. “Are… are you okay?” she finally asked, boosting herself onto one elbow to match his height.

“What did you say?”

“I said I love you. Yes, I love you, Oscar Pine.” He collapsed onto his back with a sharp exhale, bouncing the bed a tiny bit. His wide eyes looked up at her. Ruby was getting more concerned by the second. 

“I love you too,” he said suddenly, eyes not leaving hers. “I love you so much, Ruby Rose.” She smiled as he matched her speech. He still sounded panicked, as if he couldn’t believe that their current conversation was happening. “I--what… I--it’s just--I didn’t think--” His eyes shifted to the ceiling as the house shook again, before returning back to meet hers. “Gods, I love you too.” 

Ruby couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled over. All the panic about his response just melted away. She looked down at him, moving the arm that wasn’t supporting her weight to his face. He had on a silly grin. “You know,” she said, “most people don’t panic when told they’re loved.”

“Am I most people?”

“Not in the slightest,” Ruby said, nuzzling her nose against his. 

“Then what do most people do?”

“I don’t know, kiss I guess.”

“You want to?”

“Yes please.” Ruby hardly got the words out before Oscar’s lips were pressed to hers. One of his arms had snaked under her body while the other wrapped over, combining to pull her practically on top of him. It surprised her how gentle his lips were. And while Ruby liked that, she also wanted a little more.

[Spice following. Don't worry, clothes stay on and such. Read if you want, but there's no more necessary information in this chapter.]

So after a few seconds of a steady, gentle kiss, Ruby pulled away to grant a breath between them. Then she charged again full force, nipping at his bottom lip. He allowed her entrance without hesitation. Ruby’s hands tore through his damp hair, enjoying the cool feeling. Oscar, on the other hand, moved his hands up and down her spine, tracing lines and circles that made her shiver. So many feelings that excited her. Instincts that told her exactly what to do. Cravings that kept her kissing deep. Never had she felt so much bliss with one person.

And then Oscar’s hand crept to her lower spine, and Ruby felt something tug inside of her. A small noise escaped her she didn’t even know she could make: a tiny moan. She felt Oscar freeze in her mouth. That wasn’t what she wanted. Ruby pulled back a bit and moved her mouth to his jaw, peppering it with little kisses. He tensed underneath her at first, but almost instantly relaxed and accepted her affection. So she crept farther with her kisses, following his jaw to his ear, then going down his neck. It was here that he made a noise: just below his ear, before getting to his scars. It sounded almost like a gasp, but a little more vocal. Ruby smirked and gave the sweet spot the tiniest nibble. 

Almost in retaliation, Oscar’s hands moved to her shoulders and he rolled them over, leaving him hovering above her now. His hands returned to cupping her face and their lips reunited. This time, when Oscar deepened the kiss, Ruby responded by deftly moving her hands to the hem of his shirt and sneaking under. She felt Oscar flinch when her cold hands touched his warm skin and begged he didn’t pull back. No, instead he pushed harder, wanting to absorb Ruby entirely. She began to trace the lines of his six pack, craving the feeling of skin on skin in a way she had never felt before. Ruby felt a sense of pride when he let out a few muffled moans. 

But he fought back, taking his lips away from hers and launching for her neck. A small bite, then some sucking. An uncontrollable moan left her lips as she felt that tug inside of her again. Her fingers dug into his bare sides. Since when could Oscar do that? Not that she was complaining… 

It all felt like one big game that both of them were winning.

After a few more seconds, Oscar slowly backed away, realizing what he had done. There, just below her hairline on the right side of her neck, was a little bruise. “Oops,” Oscar breathed, looking at Ruby who was equally as breathless. She didn’t look the slightest bit mad. In fact, she let out a breathy chuckle and removed one hand from under his shirt to touch the hickey. 

“Oops,” she agreed with a shrug. They both looked at each other and laughed, trying and failing to catch their breaths. Oscar moved off Ruby and collapsed to the side of her, taking her hand in his. Again, they couldn’t peel their eyes away from one another. 

“Well that was fun,” Ruby said.

Oscar snorted, “yeah, okay. That’s one way to describe it.”

“But I’m tired now.”

“Gods, me too.” Ruby nestled herself into Oscar’s shoulder and draped one arm along his chest. She listened to the sound of his heart as it began to slow its pace. It was soothing--like listening to a music box. She wasn’t sure how long she was awake as she focused on Oscar’s breath, but it was a beautiful feeling. She never wanted to leave his arms again.

“Goodnight, Oscar,” Ruby sighed, fairly certain he had fallen asleep already.

“G’night, Ruby.” A gravely response, entertaining the idea that perhaps he had been sleeping.

“See you again tomorrow.”

He chuckled, making Ruby bobble a tiny bit. “See you tomorrow.”


	12. Harmony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion of our story.

Overnight, the storm passed, and yet Oscar felt like days had gone by. He awoke at the crack of dawn, regardless of the fact that the underground window hardly let any light through. It took him a while to realize that he wasn’t in his bed, or that he was wearing a shirt he didn’t own. As he went to stir, he felt a weight on his shoulder and chest and looked down to see Ruby fast asleep, limbs curled around him. He fought back a chuckle and wrapped one arm around her as well, gently stroking her hair a few times. Then his eyes shifted to the ceiling.

Oscar doubted he’d fall back asleep, but didn’t really want to move either. Sure, he wanted to go back to the shop eventually--take a look at the damage and clean it up. And he wanted to make sure the Belladonna’s were okay, of course, and probably help them a bit with clean up too. But Ruby’s hand over his heart felt like a hundred pound weight that he had no intention of moving anytime soon. 

So, he let his thoughts wander as he stared at the ceiling. He wondered about Oz and how he was doing. He hoped that Oz knew he was safe, though he couldn’t say the same about the store. Hopefully, Oscar could have it cleaned up by the time Oz got back--whenever that was. 

Briefly, his thoughts travelled to his past, as they often did. It was scary to let his thoughts wander, because they would usually touch places he would rather bury. 

But as soon as they did, the hand over his heart reminded him that he didn’t need to be afraid. He didn’t need to bury himself. He didn’t need to try to force his thoughts and emotions into control all the time, and that sometimes, it was okay to just let them be. It’s okay to be vulnerable, once you find someone who you know you can be vulnerable with. Oscar trusted Ruby, and Ruby trusted him. That was something special. They had both seen each other cry, both have had to tell secrets, and both have held their hearts in each others’ hands and begged that they didn’t break. 

It was beautiful. Being vulnerable. 

So Oscar didn’t move. He continued to breathe deeply as he held Ruby in his arms and drifted into a half-sleep. 

*****

Taiyang offered to help Oscar with the shop, since school was out. The Belladonna’s both suffered concussions and lots of bruising, but were released from the hospital within the day. Blake came as soon as she could and helped her parents walk into their ruined store. Oscar couldn’t help but feel bad as he looked at his neighbors. Oz’s Oddities had certainly suffered from the large hole in the wall, but the only merchandise that broke were some less guarded ones and the occasional porcelain that fell off the shelves. The trick with binding the shelves really worked like a charm. 

After a long day of work with Tai, Oscar was ready to settle back down in the attic. That is, until Tai reminded the boy that Oz specified he’d be living under the Xiao Long’s roof until he returned. Oscar, embarrassed, packed a suitcase instead and headed to their home and prayed for Oz’s safe arrival. Of course he loved Ruby, and Yang and Tai were so kind, but he always felt like a burden.

Still, Oscar hadn’t eaten so much in his life. It was nice. Yang was insistent with stuffing his face with food and Ruby was obsessed with milk. Something about growing? He didn’t complain. Though hesitant at first, he caved eventually and was eating three meals a day. Tai commented at some point that Oscar ate every meal as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks, which always made his face flush.   
But after a week, he noticed some of his ribcage starting to disappear. It made him feel strange and Ruby very happy. 

Times meshed together in one joyous experience, until one day, about a week and a half later. 

Up in the attic of Oz’s Oddities, Oscar clicked the last spring into place before setting the prototype pole of Crescent Rose on his desk, which he had previously cleared. They had used pieces of a metal mop handle instead of good metal to attach the opening mechanism. If Oscar’s measurements and Ruby’s welding skills were correct, the mechanism should open and close at the flip of a switch. “Moment of truth,” Ruby said, nervously smiling at her boyfriend. They both stood at the desk, ready to gather any flying parts. 

“You do the honors,” Oscar said, gesturing to the creator. She smiled and exhaled, reaching for the small switch on the compacted metal pole. The tricky part—that they had managed to account for—was the extra space the gun would require within the pole itself. But Oscar said he was fairly confident they had left enough space while keeping the trigger mechanism in tack. 

“Ready?” Ruby asked, thumb resting on the portion of the pole with the switch.

“Ready.” She flipped the switch and withdrew her hand quickly. Instantly, the metal pole unfolded into a full, six foot pole, complete with a scythe blade skeleton that extended at the top. Unfortunately, the blade’s skeleton at the top pushed against Oscar’s bedpost and tilted the machine slightly. So instead of the pole extending across the desk and into the open air, it pushed right into Oscar’s thigh. 

“OOF,” Oscar grunted and fell on the ground, hands clutching his right thigh. Ruby gasped and switched from looking at their successful project to the boy in pain. 

“Hoooo, gods…” he grimaced and started rocking back and forth on his butt as he cradled his thigh. That was going to leave a bruise.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay?” Ruby asked, kneeling next to him. 

“Pfft—” Oscar couldn’t stop his laugh. “It worked!” he said between breaths. Ruby was soon to follow. They both laughed until their sides hurt and tears formed in their eyes. 

“It worked,” Ruby said with a sigh when they finally got control of themselves. “Thank you, Oscar,” she said, smiling but serious, “if this doesn’t win the mechanical scholarship, then I fully believe it’s bribery based.”

“I had fun,” Oscar admitted, “Really! It’s good to see all your hard work pay off, right?”

“Now I just have to apply all the proper metal coverings,” Ruby said, “and, ya know, actually attach the blade and the gun. Which, I should check with Qrow to make sure he actually finished them.”

“And don’t forget to paint it.”

“Of course.” Ruby crawled to sit by Oscar. “Now, about your payment…”

“Payment?” Oscar raised an eyebrow, “I don’t expect any—” He was cut off by Ruby’s lips on his. Oh, sweet bliss. Oscar practically melted as he snaked his arms around her torso and she played with his hair. 

Unfortunately, before they could get very far in their affections, Oscar heard the bell for the front door ring. Ruby groaned against his lips. “I am still working,” Oscar pulled away and stood up, “you naughty woman.” He wagged a finger at her as he opened the trapdoor and climbed down the ladder. 

The store had been mostly restored: all the shelves were put back and the Open sign was still flipped. The Belladonna’s were working on having a construction crew come fix the wall, but they were much more busy fixing the front half of the store first. A tarp had been put up instead. It wasn’t very professional, but the locals weren’t oblivious to the damage the tornado had caused and, frankly, no one cared. 

As Oscar came to the front of the store--trying and failing to hide his smirk--he froze when he saw the figure in the doorway. 

Ozpin stood against the bright, windowed door like a silhouette. Briefcase in one hand, coat dangling in the other, his brown eyes immediately landed on Oscar. 

Oscar could feel his emotions swirling inside of him. It had been two weeks since Oz left. And yet Oscar felt like his world had shifted upside down in that time. He could see his situation in his head, as long as the proper response. _Here, let me take your coat. I’ll go start some hot chocolate. It’s good to have you back. Everything went okay?_ But after all the things Oscar had gone through, none of those felt right. 

And all the memories came flooding back to him. Seeing the strange, gray-haired man for the first time after he had hunted him down the street. The man’s kind eyes looking at Oscar’s tiny, broken frame with an emotion Oscar had never seen. Hiding in an attic that wasn’t his. Hearing his first music box. Oz proposing a deal that would change his life. Oscar knew-- _he knew_ \--Oz hardly made any money from this store. Any normal business man would have said to close it long ago. But Oz kept it for him, even if he never mentioned it. 

So, when Oscar came back to himself, facing the man he might as well call “dad,” he strode forward with purpose. Smile on his face, he wordlessly took Oz’s coat and briefcase. “O-oh,” Oz finally snapped out of whatever trance he was in, “you don’t have to--”

His words were stopped when Oscar, after placing the objects on the floor, clutched Oz in a tight hug. Oscar wasn’t sure if Oz would hug back, nor did he really need him to. The boy had always expressed his thanks through actions: doing things for Oz, going above and beyond the call of duty. Yet he had never given Oz the most pure, basic form of affection. Oscar’s eyes stung as he buried his face into the man’s shoulder, holding him tighter than he probably needed to. 

Oz said nothing, but Oscar eventually felt two arms wrap around him too, returning the hug with as much intensity as he gave. Oscar couldn’t stop his smile. “Welcome home,” Oscar sighed.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Ozpin said as they released each other. 

“Pssh, it’s going to take more than a tornado to get rid of me.”

*****

Harmony. A gentle breeze that whispers songs. The beating of two hearts when they find each other. Hands that interlock perfectly. Oscar loved harmony. And while he still struggled to take the crashing of broken objects or the sound of voices overlapping, he realized that not all combinations are bad. Two things can make something beautiful. Oscar didn’t wear his earmuffs in the morning anymore. He listened to the birds, pressing through the dissonance, to hear the occasional harmony of two lucky birds’ calls complementing each other. 

Though there be dissonance, so long as two things ring, there will always be harmony. 

***** END *****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it’s done! Don’t worry, I already have another RWBY AU fic in the works. 
> 
> Did I kind of want the Crescent Rose unfolding to be a crotch shot? Yeah... but then Oscar couldn’t have kids, and we need RG babies. 🥺 
> 
> Did I actually have a second arc planned for this? Yes. But, it was incomplete, I couldn’t find a way out of it, and I want to move on to my next fic. 
> 
> My tumblr and Wattpad are both @Plexieglasses if you’d like more content. Feel free to ask questions as well. I promise I see and deeply appreciate all of your comments, even if I don’t respond. 
> 
> I hope you all had as much fun as I did!! Stay safe and hang in there!!


End file.
